


New Transylvania

by Jeonghanscheekbones



Series: Angsty Seventeen Fics [9]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Chan is a brat, Coming Out, Courtroom Drama, Fluff, Gun Violence, Legal Drama, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, Police Brutality, Possibly implied smut, Slow Burn, Soonhoon if you squint, The members are all jewish, angtsy fluff eventually, deepfakes, joshua is a chaotic gay disaster, slight gore, some references to Jewish stuff, vampire lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:49:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 35,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22807369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeonghanscheekbones/pseuds/Jeonghanscheekbones
Summary: Joshua Hong is a Rabbi who just moved to the small town of New Transylvania, Argentina. He quickly learns that the townspeople are living in fear of the Neighborhood Vampire who likes to kidnap children and eat them.Joshua sets out to hunt down this vampire to save the town; but imagine his surprise when he finds out the 'vampire' is actually just a cute dork named Choi Seungcheol.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Lee Chan | Dino, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Lee Seokmin | DK/Yoon Jeonghan
Series: Angsty Seventeen Fics [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1350832
Comments: 40
Kudos: 58





	1. I

**March 20**

"Well, not too shabby, eh? And it'll only take 10 years to pay off the place," Joshua sighed, flipping the light switch to the large, dusty temple sanctuary, "Feast your eyes, son, THIS is our new temple!" 

The amber sunset entered through the stained glass windows at the front of the room, highlighting the faded carpet that ran in between the dry rotted pews.  
The disgustingly-muted pink wallpaper was peeling off the walls.

"I think this room is giving us asbestos poisoning," Chan said, walking away. Joshua's teenage brother had made it abundantly clear that he wasn't too thrilled about the move. He stomped away into the social hall, plopping down in a dusty chair and pulling out his phone at once. 

"Why so blue, kid?" Joshua's songleader, Hansol, asked, entering the room as well, flashing a gummy smile at Chan. 

"He's just mad because he had to leave his friends back in Boston. Just ignore him, hun, he's being a brat," Joshua hawed as he entered the room, glancing around, "And for the record, this place looked a lot cleaner in the pictures," he pulled a tarp off of one of the many circular tables that filled the social hall, unleashing a massive cloud of dust.

"Yah! I *cough* this is *cough* ridiculous. I'm walking back to our apartment!" Chan rasped, his eyes widening in disgust. He abruptly stood up and stormed out of the room with his sleeve covering his mouth, stifling his coughs. 

Joshua planned to run after him, but he didn't have to.  
Chan was harshly clotheslined by the temple's president, Jihoon. 

"Not so fast, little man. It's getting late and this is a bad part of town. You're not walking home," the short-statured man explained gruffly, his unnaturally pink hair falling in front of his eyes, "You could get kidnapped, or mugged, or-uh-or-"

"-Or bitten by a vampire!" Hansol said, walking up behind them.

The other two both raised an eyebrow at him, "Uh...yeah," Jihoon murmured, walking away. 

Chan rolled his eyes, "I'll just wait in the asbestos sanctuary until we have to leave," he sighed, walking away. 

Hansol shrugged, turning around to face Joshua, "So what do we need to do, Rabbi?" He smiled eagerly, placing his hands on his hips. 

He furrowed his thin eyebrows, "Well..I've already made a list of everything we need to do before our grand opening next week. You do what ever you want, I'm gonna go meet our new neighbors, the florist next door. You're welcome to come," he explained, cracking his knuckles like he often did. 

"Nah, I'm gonna explore the new digs!" The younger man chuckled, running up the stairs to check out the Sunday school classrooms at once, leaving Joshua alone in the social hall. 

-

_*ding*_

"Hello! Good Afternoon!" A tall, ponytail-clad man greeted from behind the counter of the flower shop as soon as Joshua walked in. 

"Hi," he began, approaching the counter, "I'm Rabbi Hong, but you can call me Joshua. Nice to meet you!" He extended his hand, intending for the man to shake it, which he did, though somewhat hesitantly. 

"You're..a Rabbi?" The handsome florist asked slowly, his accent was thick, but not so much that one couldn't understand him. He shook his head, plastering a smile onto his face, "Uh sorry, nevermind. Name's Yoon Jeonghan, nice to meet you," he said, shaking the Rabbi's hand, "Welcome to New Transylvania."

"T-thank you. If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Yoon, is this town always so..quiet?" He asked, looking out the window at the empty streets, and darkened storefronts.  
It was something he'd been wondering ever since he'd come to the town.  
He'd been there for almost a week and had only seen a handful of people. 

The florist hesitated, averting his eyes, "It used to be a bustling, lively place, but then..well..The Count happened," he trailed off, his tone lowering to a mumble. 

"The..Count?"

He continued, "Yes, The Count. Young children began to go missing once and a while..then it was adults..the most recent kidnapping was just last month. Within a year of the first kidnapping, most of the families here moved away," He sighed, returning to his work, "We believe The Count is behind it. Is there anything else you'd like to know about this town? Yknow..if you still want to stay here."

Joshua leaned against the counter, his interest piqued, "You can't be talking about-" he paused, shaking his head, "-no no, you can't be talking about vampires, can you?" He asked incredulously, blinking hard in befuddlement. 

Mr. Yoon turned back around to speak to him, drawing his slender hand to his chin, "Indeed. The Count..that's the only thing he COULD be. He only leaves his castle in the evenings," his tone was grave, his thin lips forming a grimace, "He's so pale, and he wears all black. His eyes...Rabbi, his eyes are RED. What kinda human has red eyes?! And he hates Children, too!"

Joshua didn't know how to even respond to that kind of information. He only half believed it, after all, "I...what can I do? Wait, you said he kidnaps kids? My brother is hardly 15! Oh no.." He found himself being convinced, the more he thought about it. As crazy as it seemed, the town was called New Transylvania after all. 

"You must wear a crucifix at all times, Sir. It's the only way to remain safe!" Mr. Yoon explained, reaching under the counter and pulling out two chains, each with a cross attached, "Here. I always keep extras, just in case."

"Thank you," Joshua gave a polite smile, taking the crucifixes and pocketing one of them. He slipped the other one around his neck, "I'm afraid I must get going now. Bye! Thanks again!" He announced as he approached the door. 

The florist looked disheartened to see Joshua leave, he shrugged, "Oh, well have a safe evening. It was nice meeting you," he called as the Rabbi left the shop.

Joshua looked to each side of the street. The only other open store on the block was a small tattoo parlor across the street. 

Upon entering the shop, Joshua was greeted with loud, metal music blaring through the room. The walls were littered with miscellaneous pictures and posters.  
The place was empty, sound for a young man sitting in a chair in the far corner of the shop, his nose buried in a magazine. 

"Hi, hello," Joshua slowly walked towards him. 

The man looked up from what he was reading, immediately jumping up from his seat, "Hi! Welcome!" He was tall and slender, with tattoo sleeves covering both of his arms. A tuft of black hair hung over his eyes, producing an intimidating silhouette.  
He ran behind the desk, turning off the music. He looked back up at Joshua, awkwardly waving, "Do you..uh..want a tattoo or something?"

"No thank you," the rabbi chuckled, drawing a hand up to his disheveled, brown hair, "I'm new here, just bought the temple across the street. Nice to meet you, I'm Joshua.”

"I'm Seokmin, welcome," he grinned cutely, extending a tattoo-covered hand for him to shake, "I see you've been to the flower shop."

"I-wait-what?!" The rabbi raised his eyebrows at Seokmin.  
If this town had vampires, it's not far fetched to assume they also have mind readers. 

He let out a loud, screech-like laugh, "Chill dude. I recognize the cross necklace. My boyfriend owns the flower shop across the street, he orders those in bulk on Amazon. He's a bit of a doomsday prepper," he explained. 

"Oh!" Joshua sighed, relief washing over him as fiddled with his cross, "Ok yeah haha that..yeah. Well anyway, it was nice meeting you. I really should get going. My little brother is itching to get home," he backed towards the door. 

"Yeah, of course dude. Anyway, welcome to the hood and have a good night!" Seokmin called after him as he left.


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify some things;
> 
> Social Hall=the part of a temple where meals are eaten, or parties are held. Usually has a dance floor/stage and lots of tables 
> 
> Oneg=a small meal served after a Jewish service

**March 21**

"But we're Jewish!" Chan whined, leaning on the kitchen counter.   
Once the brothers arrived to their apartment, Joshua broke the news to Chan about the *ahem* vampire thing.

"Really? I didn't know that!" Joshua bellowed sarcastically, "Just wear it! Do you wanna be kidnapped by a vampire?" He scolded, shoving the crucifix at Chan.

He backed away, pointing a finger at his brother, "Do you even hear yourself?! Vampires?!" He yelled as he ran to his bedroom and slammed the door behind himself. 

"I-uh-Chan.." Joshua sighed, rubbing his forehead.   
He realized how crazy it sounded, what he was asking of his little brother, but that florist that he spoke to was quite convincing.   
Joshua, being a man of religion himself, wasn't completely skeptical of the supernatural anyway. The concept that his new town was being terrorized by vampires just wasn't unbelievable to him. However, convincing his congregation of it would be another story.

-

**March 23**

"I'd like to close today's service by once again thanking everyone who joined us in the first ever Shabbat at our new Temple! If you're all look at the large box by the front door, there are crucifixes inside it. I severely urge all of you to take one and wear it. I've been informed that there..there are vampires in this town, and the only way to ward them off is to wear one!" Joshua announced to his congregation at the closing of his opening service. 

The majority of pews were empty, since only about a dozen people came, and those were mostly employees who moved to town along with the temple.

As always, Jihoon sat contently in the front pew, along with his Vice President, Minghao. 

Xu Minghao had recently immigrated from China. He became friends with Joshua on his first day in Argentina, and became fascinated with Judaism from there. He got a mullet haircut, and began wearing wire-rimmed glasses. A kind and earnest man he was, though he was quite a peculiar character as well.   
He ended up becoming VP once Jihoon realized how much work the president position was.

Chan sat in the back of the room with his nose buried in his phone, gruffly mumbling the words to a Hebrew song that he'd been forced to listen to at every Shabbat since he was old enough to think.   
The rest of the congregants were the Sunday school teachers, Junhui, Soonyoung, Mingyu, and Wonwoo, who came to every Shabbat service. 

"Shabbat Shalom everyone! Have a wonderful weekend!" Josh announced, waving as everybody stood up to go to the social hall for Oneg. 

-

"Mr. Kim! How are the kids? Oh, Soonyoung! I bet those brownies you made for the bake sale are gonna be a hit!" Joshua went around the social hall, schmoozing with his congregants like he usually would. 

"Rabbi Hong! Rabbi Hong-ah!" 

Joshua turned around, looking for the person who was shouting for him.   
It was Minghao, speed-walking towards him. 

"Minghao, we've talked about this, you can just call me Joshua," he chuckled, smiling kindly at the tall man, "What's wrong?"

"We've got a problem.." He bit his lip, staring at the floor, "No one wants to wear the crosses," he said, his narrow mouth pursed tightly. 

The Rabbi raised his eyebrows, "Wha-why?!" He asked, leading Minghao to the corner so they could speak privately, "Who told you that?"

"Well..Jihoon, and Hansol..and Mingyu, and Wonwoo, and Soonyoung, and-"

"-Ok I get the point!" Joshua cut him off, rubbing his forehead, "It will protect them from vampires! Why wouldn't they want to wear them?"

"Well they think it's sacreligous. They won't do it!" Minghao crossed his arms, "You're gonna have to think of something else."

Joshua bit his lip, "Yeah, I guess so..."

-

"Please just wear the crosses, come on!" Joshua whined, stamping his foot on the ground like a toddler, "It is for SAFETY."

"Josh, I think you're making a big deal out of this. We're Jews, we're not gonna walk around with these gaudy crosses on. Sorry," Jihoon sighed, leaning back in his seat. 

The rabbi had gathered his entire staff in the social hall simply to beg them to wear the crosses. They all sat and watched him, concerned for him but also disinterested in the topic at hand. 

Junhui cleared his throat, crossing his legs in his seat, "He's right, Rabbi Hong. Why do you believe this vampire thing anyway?"

"I-uh-it's a vibe, I guess," he began, raising his eyebrows, "Just..cmon, give it a chance!"

"Sorry, Boss. I can't go along with this one," Wonwoo sighed, adjusting his glasses and standing up, "It's getting late. Are we done here?" 

Joshua didn't think he was asking for too much, but their minds were made up and he didn't think he could change them, "Y-yeah, fine. Why don't you guys go home? I'm gonna close up shop and then head out."

They nodded in agreement, gathering their things and leaving the synagogue.   
-

After they all went home , Joshua went around every room in the building, making sure all of the doors were locked and the lights were off, "Channie, you ready to go?" He called in the general direction of the social hall. 

"Ugh finally!"

"I'll take that as a yes.." He said to himself, approaching the front door. 

*crash*

He jumped slightly at the noise, moving to the nearest window to see what the commotion was about. 

"What the hell was that?" Chan asked, walking into the room. He had his jacket hood up so you could barely see his face. 

Normally, Joshua would scold him for speaking that way inside of synagogue, but at the moment he was more concerned with the angry mob forming right across the street.   
He went outside, crossing the street to get a better look at the situation.   
The story became apparent very quickly. 

The front window of the tattoo shop had been shattered, as if someone threw a brick through it. The small crowd gathered around as Seokmin, the owner, was trying desperately to fight the person who was behind the vandalism. 

"I'M CALLING THE FUCKING COPS, YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU'RE GONNA FUCKING PAY FOR THIS, PUNK!" He was red-faced, furious, and spewing a slew of profanities. He had to be restrained by his boyfriend, Jeonghan, who was holding him back so the brick-throwing guy didn't get his lights knocked out. 

Said brick-throwing guy, a middle aged man wearing wire-rimmed glasses, was trying to avoid his impending beating, "Please, I'm sorry! I'll pay for the damages, don't kill me!"

Joshua shoved his way to the center of the circle, "WOAH WOAH WOAH everybody just calm down!"

Surprisingly, they listened to him, immediately quieting down. The crowd soon dispersed, leaving only Joshua, Jeonghan, the guy who broke the window, and a still-furious Seokmin. 

"Now..one at a time please. Seokmin, what happened?" He said, turning to face him. 

The tattoo artist sighed, his shoulders slumping, "Jeonghan and I were closing up the shop; I'd just turned off all the lights and we were about to lock up, when a BRICK CAME THROUGH MY FUCKING WINDOW! It scared the Jesus out of us! We come outside, and this punk is just standing there like a statue!" He gasped for air at the end of his rant, signaling that he had more to say, but Josh cut him off. 

"Ok..alright, thank you," He said sharply, turning to face the other man, "Now you. Why on earth did you throw a brick through Seokmin's window?"

"I wasn't aiming for the window! I saw The Count. He tried to kidnap me! I threw the rock at him, but he was too fast!" He pleaded, shakily pulling his wallet from his jacket pocket, "Sir, I'll pay for all the damages. I'm so sorry!"

"Wait, The Count? You saw The Count?!" Jeonghan asked, approaching him. 

"Y-yes! He tried to take me! He grabbed my wrist with his frigid hand and tried to pull me with him. I'd forgotten to wear my cross, but luck was on my side, since I am still here and not in his dungeon or something!" He said, rubbing his forehead. 

"Oh my god..this-ah-this is crazy. You guys live like this? In fear constantly? Always paranoid about The Count?" Joshua asked, his voice raising half an octave. 

Jeonghan tilted his head, biting his lip, "Pretty much. We were at 21 days without an 'incident' but I suppose that should be reset to zero now.." 

Joshua was stunned at the realization that came upon him. The people of New Transylvania were prisoners in their own town, constantly paranoid and scared of this man who terrorized the town. It was no wonder that so many had left.


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I really hope you’re enjoying this story. I really enjoyed writing it and I’ve spend a lot of time on it lol. So yeah uh that’s all.

**March 23**

"PLEASE wear the crosses, or at least carry a weapon, I'm begging you!"Joshua said, crossing his arms. He knew how undignified he sounded, but he didn't care. He simply wanted to keep his congregation safe and this was the only way he knew how. After all, his old temple didn't exactly have a "neighborhood vampire" to deal with, "If you don't wear the crucifixes, you run the risk of being kidnapped by the vampire and being taken to his dungeon..or something, I don't know man! I'm at the end of my rope here!" He really was at the end of his rope, the incident last night had him more concerned than ever, and the fact that no one was taking him seriously was driving him mad. 

Jihoon was so done with all of the vampire nonsense. He'd essentially dropped his pleasantries to use his 'real talk' on Joshua, "Get a grip, Dude, have you been sniffing bath salts again?" He asked, standing up and pointing an accusatory finger at him. 

"Not since college.." Josh mumbled meekly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Ok I'm going to ignore that part, and just agree with Jihoonie here. You sound like a loony bird, Josh," Chan said, joining the conversation just long enough to make fun of his brother before returning to playing a game on his phone. 

Minghao decided to add in his two cents, "I think Mr. Rabbi is right. Back in Liaoning, we told this story at primary school kids about a scary creature named Értóng Shāshôu. He had white skin and no eyes. If a child misbehaved, he would steal them in the middle of the night, take them to the woods and leave them to die."

An awkward silence fell over the room for several seconds, everyone avoiding eye contact entirely. 

"I still sometimes have nightmares about The Értóng.." Minghao mumbled to himself, staring at the ground. 

Junhui stood up from his seat, walking over and giving him a sympathetic hug, "Oh it's ok, man. You know that's just a story."

Junhui also immigrated from China, Shenzhen specifically, so he knew all about Értóng Shāshôu and the traumatizing effect it had on children. 

"While that story was...kind of terrifying, It's not exactly the same as this situation. I understand that the congregation is completely against any of the vampire prevention methods that I've suggested, so it looks like I'm gonna have to do something a bit..less orthodox." Joshua said.

"Oh, hahahha because we're reform! Good one!" Wonwoo giggled.

"....right. Yes, well, I promise, I'm going to do something about The Count, something big," Josh began, "Soon, the people of New Transylvania will live in fear no longer, fore this town will be free of the supernatural shackles that have been bestowed upon it-"

"-OK boomer, drop the theatrics and just say you're gonna write a strongly worded letter," Chan said, effectively cutting off his speech. 

"26 is NOT a boomer! Look, the point I'm making here is that I'm going to put a stop to this madness and save the town," he explained, biting his lip anxiously. He was manic, and pacing back and forth across the room, "How am I gonna do that? I dunno. I could set a trap for The Count and wait for him to come to town..no, that's not going to work..oh maybe I could hire a hitman..ugh that's preposterous.."

Wonwoo stood up, approaching Chan, "I haven't seen him this stressed since the 2016 election. It's really that big of a deal to him huh, the whole vampire thing?" He took the seat across from the boy, resting his elbow on the table, and his hand on his chin, he missed and accidentally punched himself in the face though, because he's like blind and has no depth perception. 

"He was up all night. He had 5 cups of coffee this morning," Chan groaned, smirking as he watched his older brother pace across the room, talking to himself like a madman, "I don't understand it at all, but he's determined yah."

Wonwoo adjusted his glasses, "That's what makes Josh such a great dude though, he's so determined to do the right thing, he'll stop at nothing. It's crazy, but kind of admirable. That's why he's such a good Rabbi, he's so selfless."

Chan wheezed, not looking up from his phone, "Ok boomer."

"24 IS NOT A BOOMER, CHAN."

-  
 **March 25**

"Josh, where is your good knife?" Jihoon asked, looking through the all of the drawers in Joshua and Chan's kitchen, "Yknow, the really big, sharp one?"

"Don't you know he hides them whenever you come over?" Soonyoung teased, going behind Jihoon to shut all of the drawers that he left open. 

Soonyoung and Jihoon came over to help Joshua with some event planning for the temple, but also to play Mario Kart with Chan. Ok, MOSTLY to play Mario Kart with Chan. 

"Seriously, where is it. I need it!" Jihoon whined, pushing his bright pink hair out of his face. 

Joshua sat at his kitchen table, surrounded by miscellaneous paperwork, "It's in my backpack, along with my taser. And by the way Jihoon, I don't appreciate the fact that you threaten to stab my brother every time he beats you on Rainbow Road."

Soonyoung went back to the living room, plopping down onto the couch, "Why do you have a knife and a taser in your bag?"

Joshua set his papers down, abruptly standing up from the table. His big, borderline-creepy smile spread across his face, "Because, I figured out what to do about The Count."

They both stared at him with raised eyebrows and anticipation, "Please elaborate," Soonyoung said slowly. 

"No need, hun, you'll see soon enough," Josh chuckled, walking to the couch with a little extra bounce in his step, he was basically night-and-day from how he was the other day.  
He squeezed into the small space between Soonyoung and Chan, "Now, who's ready for Rainbow Road?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is greatly appreciated. Comments and kudos motivate me to continue updating ❤️


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua goes to The Count’s house in the hopes of having a civil discussion with him, but things don’t go quite as expected.

**March 26**

*ding*

"Where does The Count live?" Joshua asked, bursting into Jeonghan's flower shop bright and early on Monday morning. 

"I-what-Uh-good morning, Joshua! How are you?" The florist asked, surprised by Joshua's entrance. He'd been sorting tulips behind the front desk, but stopped to give his full attention to his friend. 

He approached the counter, "I'm well. How are you?" He said, albeit impatiently. 

"Good-"

"Good. Do you know where The Count lives?" He asked again, lowering his voice. He was a man on a mission and didn't have time for pleasantries. 

Jeonghan hesitated, taking a step back from the other side of the counter, "Uhh..yeah. Why do you wanna know?"

"Don't worry about it. Please just tell me where he lives," Joshua pleaded. 

Jeonghan was taken aback. He clearly hadn't been asked the question before, "Well..uh..it's actually really close. Just go up to Thortonridge, take a left of Buoy's Creek, then go all the way to the top of that massive hill, then BOOM you'll be at his front door. But seriously, why do you wanna know where he lives?"

"Because.." Joshua paused for dramatic effect, leaning further onto the counter, "I'm gonna go to his house."

Jeonghan let out small gasp, "Uh no no no no no no," He quickly walked out from behind the counter, approaching the guest. He braced Joshua by the shoulders, shaking him, "Are you mad?! He's a kidnapper! He's a vampire!"

Joshua wriggled free of Jeonghan's grasp, "I know, but hear me out. I'm just going to go and talk to him, ok? Just a civil discussion. If things go sideways, I've got my weapons and stuff," he said, putting his hands up defensively, "Thank you. I've got to go," he said, leaving the shop, "Don't worry about it!"

Jeonghan stood still, letting out a deep sigh as he watched Joshua run off, "Yeah, he's gonna die..hm, sad," he mumbled to himself as he returned to behind the counter to sort flowers. 

-

Joshua carefully approached the massive, dark, looming castle before him. It sat on top of the hill, just as Jeonghan said it did. The architecture was breathtakingly intricate; different shapes and styles of Windows, doors, and balconies littered the mansion.   
Joshua was thoroughly intimidated, hesitating to knock of the large, wooden front foor, though he did it anyway. Carefully pulling at the iron door knocker and hitting it against the door. 

He mentally prepared himself for what was to come; the evil, old vampire that terrorized New Transylvania, and Joshua was about to be face to face with him.   
After several seconds after knocking, the front door slowly creaked open, revealing...

"Hi-uh-May I help you?"   
The man behind the door was not who Joshua expected to see. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, of a nonthreatening stature, and actually...kinda cute. 

Joshua cleared his throat, "Is-um-is The Count home?" He asked shyly. 

The man let out a small chuckle, nodding, "Yeah, yup, yesiree-bob, That would be me," he said, smiling awkwardly at the rabbi as he rocked back and forth on his heels. 

"YOU'RE The Count?" His jaw basically fell on the floor. This guy? This guy is the count?   
His eyes weren't red. He was pale, yes, but only 'normal human' pale, not 'undead vampire' pale. He certainly didn't have fangs, though he did have dimples on either side of his mouth. He wasn't wearing a Victorian-era cloak, but simply a black dress shirt and slacks. He looked...normal.   
Joshua quickly pulled himself together, continuing his pre-rehearsed greeting to The Count, "I-um-yes well- _ahem_..ok, Hi, I'm Rabbi Joshua Hong, but you can call me Josh. If you have the time, I was hoping we could just..chat," -he'd definitely forgotten everything he was planning on saying- "I mean, like-um-can we ju-just-talk about-uh..some things-umm-"

"-Ok, slow down there buckaroo," The Count interrupted him, putting his hands up defensively, "I take it you've heard about me. I'd be happy to talk. Why don't you come on inside, it's quite chilly out."

Joshua complied, stepping inside and mumbling a giggly 'thank you' to him. He set his coat and backpack down by the door, but kept his taser in his pocket..just in case things went wrong. 

The Count disappeared into the kitchen, "MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME, DEAR. HAVE A SEAT IN THE LIVING ROOM IF YOU'D LIKE. I'VE JUST MADE A POT OF TEA, WOULD YOU LIKE SOME?" He yelled much louder than he actually needed to, since the kitchen and the living room were quite close. 

Joshua apprehensively took a seat on the couch, "UH, YES PLEASE!" Though he regretted it as soon as he said it, realizing the possibility that this man could easily put something into his tea. He was realizing at this point, that he just went into a complete stranger's home, and that probably wasn't very smart. He took a deep breath, trying to convince himself that he wouldn't die here. 

After a few moments, The Count returned, handing Joshua a cup of tea, whilst keeping one for himself. He sat in the arm chair next to the couch, "Rabbi-err-Joshua, I apologize if I'm being a bit...overbearing. I don't have visitors very often, and the ones I do get aren't as friendly as you seem to be," he explained, smiling kindly. 

Joshua nodded at him, leaning back into his seat comfortably, "It's quite alright. To be frank, you're a lot different than what I expected," he said, watching as The Count took a sip of his tea. Josh looked closely at his own cup, sniffing the tea to see if there was anything weird in it. 

The Count sighed, "Here," he said, gently pulling the cup from Joshua's hands and replacing it with his, "You saw me drink out of it, so you know there's nothing wrong with it."

"Thank you.. So um..anyway, nice to meet you," Joshua said, sipping his new tea, "So, you're The Count, but like what's your name? What's your actual name?" 

He smiled again, glancing down at his teacup, "I'm not actually the count of anything, it's just a nickname. My name is Choi Seungcheol," He said, clearing his throat and looking back up at Joshua, "So anyway, what brings you here? I assume you've heard some things about me? I'm fully aware that the people of New Transylvania aren't so fond of me, though I don't exactly know why."

"Well..to put it bluntly, they're terrified of you," Josh began, taking on a severe tone, "They seem to think you're a vampire that kidnaps people and takes them to your..dungeon. Some of the towns people even told me that you were super pale, and dressed all in black all the time-"

"-Not like I can control my skin color, and what's wrong with wearing black?" He interrupted, rolling his eyes, "Sorry, continue."

Joshua complied, "I was told that you had scary, red eyes."

"Have they never heard of colored contacts?"

"..And you had super red lips and black around your eyes."

"Christ almighty, a guy puts on makeup one time and suddenly everyone thinks he's a vampire.." He groaned, leaning back in his seat, his ear-length, black hair fell over his eyes. His frustration suddenly turned to shock, "Wait! Is this why that elementary school kid threw garlic at me last month? I was so confused about that but it all makes sense now! I can't believe I never realized! This whole time, everyone thought I was a vampire?"

Joshua couldn't help but laugh at the preposterousness of it all. He set his teacup down, burying his face in his hands while he tried to stifle his laughter, "Yeah, So..aha-what about the-the-the kidnappings?" He asked through fits of giggles, suddenly remembering the possibility that this man was still some kinda serial killer, "Everyone is convinced that you kidnap children."

"You can search every inch of my house. Believe me, Joshua, there is no hostages, no dungeon, nothing of the sort. I haven't a clue where that rumor got started, but that is all it is, a rumor. I don't know who's behind the kidnappings, but hopefully they'll get caught soon and everyone will know it's not me," he explained, sounding quite sincere.

Joshua could see that The Count actually seemed quite upset about all of the rumors. He couldn't tell what it was exactly, but his gut was telling him that Seungcheol was telling the truth, "Yknow..the other day, this guy told me that you grabbed him and tried to abduct him. He tried to throw a rock at you but you ran away, and he ended up breaking my friend's window."

Seungcheol's eyes widened, as he recalled the event in question. His surprise turned to incredulation, "Seriously? What a drama queen! That guy had dropped his sunglasses, and I tapped him on the shoulder to return them to him. He saw me and started backing away. I grabbed his arm and tried to tell him that I found his sunglasses, he picked up a rock and tried to hit me with it! So I ran away! I still have the sunglasses, they're Ray Bans..."

"I'm sorry that everybody thinks you're an evil vampire," Joshua said, drinking more of the tea, "Y'know Seungcheol, you seem like a pretty chill dude. I've just opened a Jewish Synagogue in town, and if you ever want to come by, my door is always open."

Seungcheol thought for a moment, "Actually, I might just take you up on that offer. When would be a good time for me to come?" He asked, finishing off the rest of his drink. 

"There's a Shabbat service Friday night at 6. We'd love to have you," Josh said, tapping his fingers against his teacup. 

The two continued to chat over the course of the next hour. Joshua found Seungcheol's stories fascinating. Everything from his childhood in Seoul, to the time he accidentally joined the Russian mafia.   
Not only that, they actually discovered their shared interest in cheesy 80s horror movies. "I spend more time laughing than screaming. It's so bad that it's funny." Joshua explained, much to Seungcheol's agreement. 

Only after exchanging numbers and social media handles, did Josh feel the need to end their meeting.   
"Thank you so much for the tea and the conversation. I'd hate to overstay my welcome, so I should get going. Besides, it's getting a bit late, " he sighed, standing up from the couch. 

Seungcheol stood up with him, his smile faltering for a fraction of a second before he recovered it, "Of course..of course," he began, nodding, "Ah, Would it be overstepping my bounds for me to consider us friends now?" He asked, extending his hand for a handshake. 

"Not at all," Joshua chuckled, shaking Seungcheol's hand. The two went over to the front door, where he recollected his coat and backpack, "See you on Friday, I hope. Have a good night!" He saluted with a wave and a smile, leaving the house. 

"You too!" Seungcheol called after him before shutting his door. 

As Joshua was walking away from the house, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. 

J  
Jeonghan  
Jihoon  
Joe Mama (Mom)  
Junhui

He clicked on Jihoon's name, pressing the call button and bringing the phone up to his ear. 

"Yeah," A voice answered; abruptly and without any pleasantries. How very Jihoon of him.

Joshua bit his lip, "Uh, you know I always hate to admit this...but you were right."

He could practically hear Jihoon's smug smile on the other end of the line, "About what?" He drawled, relishing in the fact that he was right about something. 

"About The Vampire thing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is appreciated! Feel free to leave comments❤️


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungcheol comes to a temple service and meets Joshua’s friends, then there’s an incident at the tattoo shop.

March 26 (later that night)

Joshua entered his apartment that evening, his legs aching from the 4 mile round trip hike to Seungcheol's house, "I really should buy a car," he mumbled to himself before yelling "Channie, I'm home!"  
He walked into the living room to find Chan sitting on the couch with Junhui and Hansol, watching Monsters Inc. and eating pizza. 

"H-hey guys. I didn't know you'd be coming over..OH is that stuffed crust! Can I have some?" He ran over, grabbing a slice of triple cheese, stuffed crust pizza with olives and chicken; taking a huge bite, "Mffm, okay-" he stopped, finishing his bite of food before continuing, "Stop the movie, I have news."

Chan groaned, pausing the tv. The three of them looked up at Joshua expectantly. 

"I went to The Count's house, and I had tea with him," he began to explain, ignoring the shocked faces of Chan, Hansol, and Junhui, "He's NOT a vampire, or a kidnapper. He's actually very kind, and kind of lonely..and kind of adorable. His name is Seungcheol. I invited him to come to Shabbat services on Friday," he told them, his cheeks turning a bit pink. 

Junhui's eyes widened, "Oh that's great! So much for walking around town with those gaudy crosses on," he laughed. 

"How do you know he's not a kidnapper?" Chan asked. 

Joshua scratched his head, trying to think of an answer that wouldn't make him sound like an idiot, "He..uh..he seemed really sincere and..I don't know..it's a vibe I guess."

"Good enough for me, alright back to the movie!" Hansol said in a song-songy voice, unpausing the tv and propping his feet on the coffee table. 

Joshua sighed, heading towards his room, "No shoes on the furniture, hun! Goodnight, guys. Don't stay up too late." He greeted tiredly, rubbing his eyes. 

"G'night" Chan called, not looking away from the tv.

Hansol mumbled a 'sorry' followed by a 'sleep well', kicking off his shoes and putting his bare feet on the coffee table, much to Chan and Junhui's disgust.   
-  
 **March 28**

"Hehehehe..ha! Haha haha!" 

"What's all the giggling about?" Chan asked, leaning up against the kitchen counter.   
His brother was curled up on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, staring at his phone screen. He'd been like that for over an hour and Chan was starting wonder who he was and what he did with Joshua Hong. 

Joshua looked up at him, "Oh, Seungcheol and I have been sending each other memes," his cheeks were flushed slightly. He turned his attention back to his phone, which buzzed almost immediately, then the giggle fits started again. 

Chan couldn't help but roll his eyes a bit, "Oh my god, you're so.."

"So what?"

"Uh..never mind," he grumbled, walking back to his room.   
-  
 **March 31**

"Shabbat Shalom everybody!" Joshua closed out his service with his usually friendly salutation and wave, watching as all 18 (a new record) of his congregants left the sanctuary and went to the social hall for Oneg.   
Josh was more than happy to see that Seungcheol had come to the service, just as he'd said he would.   
He was not happy, however, to see that everyone else was avoiding him like some kind of social piranha. It was exactly what he was afraid would happen. 

He approached Hansol, who was reorganizing his sheet music in the corner, "Do you see how everyone is treating him? They're looking at him like he's gum on their shoe. God, he must feel horrible, maybe I should try to introduce him to some people or something, I don't know.. He does seem quite lonely, it'd be good if some of the congregants would warm up to him."

Hansol looked at him, shaking his fortune-cookie hair out of his face, "Why are you trying so hard for him? You barely know him."

Joshua sighed, glancing at the floor, "I-uh-I don't know, Solie. I just..he doesn't have any friends."

"So you feel bad for him?"

"Well, yes and no," Josh began, crossing his arms and looking back up at him, "I really want to be friends with him, ok? He's sweet, and funny, and deserves better," he explained slowly, his chest tightening at the thought of Seungcheol being ostracized by the congregants right now. 

Hansol stayed quiet for a second, staring blankly at his sheer music before finally nodding at Joshua, "Alright."

-

In the social hall, basically everyone was eating and conversing on one side of the room, and Seungcheol sat by himself at the table furthest in the corner. 

Joshua went up to Minghao, pulling him away from the crowd, "Hey, have you introduced yourself to Choi Seungcheol yet?"

"Uh n-no-"

"-Wonderful, why don't we go over there right now?" Joshua asked frantically as he dragged him by the arm over to Seungcheol's table, sitting down next to him, "Hey Cheol! Thanks for coming to our Shabbat service."

He laughed anxiously, fiddling with the plastic straw in his lemonade glass, "I loved your service. I think I'll come back next week. Thank you for inviting me."

"Good! Oh, this is our temple's Vice President, Minghao. I know that you both have a fondness for..tea. Ok, discuss!" He said, getting up from the table, leaving them to get acquainted. 

"Josh! Josh!" Soonyoung ran up to the Rabbi, a plate of food in his hand, "The guy who owns the flower shop is here to see you. He's in the lobby." 

Joshua nodded, "Yes, thank you, ok," he mumbled, speed walking toward the lobby. He wondered what Mr. Yoon could possibly want at this hour. 

The florist stood contently in the middle of the lobby, holding a large box. 

Joshua approached him, "Hey man, what's up?" He asked, trying to make forced pleasantries. He was frazzled enough, and Jeonghan always brought drama. It just wasn't what he needed at the moment. 

"I just dropped by to give you some more crucifixes if you need them. You can never be too safe, am I right?" He chuckled, handing Joshua the box full of cheap-looking, ugly crosses, "Alrighty then, bye now." He turned to leave. 

"Jeonghan wait!" He said, "Um, I really appreciate the...'gift', but we don't need these," he explained, handing the box back to him, "Y'see..The Count is here. Like right now, he's here."

Jeonghan's eyes widened, he looked both scared and slightly angry, "Here? He's..here?"

"Please don't freak out! He's nice, and he's not a vampire! I promise, he's a cool dude!" Joshua pleaded, hoping that Jeonghan wouldn't do anything stupid. 

His expression softened at once, "Ok...I believe you, Mr. Rabbi. May I meet him?" 

Joshua was taken aback by the response. He really hadn't expected Jeonghan to just,,be that chill, "I mean, yeah sure haha. Cmon." He said, his demeanor changing almost immediately. He dragged Jeonghan by the arm into the social hall. 

The two approached Seungcheol's table, which was now being surrounded by Minghao, Soonyoung, Junhui, Chan, Jihoon, Wonwoo, and almost everyone else. Jeonghan and Joshua walked up to the table, standing behind Minghao and Seungcheol's chairs. 

"..And that's when I said "Hey lady, let go of my tuna!" Seungcheol yelled, clapping his hands as he, along with everyone else at the table, burst into hysterical laughter. 

Soonyoung came up to Josh, tapping him on his shoulder, "Get a load of this guy, he's hilarious!" He said in between wheezes, rushing to sit back down at the table. 

"Mr-uh-Count..Sir..I'm Jeonghan. I own the flower shop next door. Joshua tells me you're..very cool dude," he said anxiously, shaking Seungcheol's hand. 

He smiled brightly, his cheeks turning rosy, "Did he really say that? Uh, yes, nice to meet you. You can just call me Seungcheol," he ran his fingers through his hair, turning toward the rest to the table to begin another fun story. 

Jeonghan turned to Joshua, overcome with excitement, "He is very cool dude!" He whispered-yelled, despite there still being a very good chance that Seungcheol heard him. Jeonghan seemed to be instantly enamored with him, much like everyone else was. 

Joshua simply hummed in reply, smiling to himself whilst listening in on his new friend's next anecdote. He was oddly proud, of Seungcheol for coming out of his shell of course, but he was also proud of his congregation for giving Seungcheol a chance.   
He looked the happiest Joshua had ever seen him, probably because it was the first time in God-knows-how-long that people were treating him well.   
Josh tried not to thing too much about the butterflies in his stomach when he watch Seungcheol burst out laughing at one of his own jokes.  
He decided to simply enjoy the rest of the night. 

-

**March 31; 9:15pm**

"Josh, where do these plates go?" Seungcheol whined, struggling to keep a grip on the massive box of plastic plates left over from Oneg. 

Josh glanced over, "3rd cabinet from the left," he said, closing the refrigerator door, "Ok, food's in the fridge, plasticware in the cabinets, tablecloths folded..I think we're good. Thanks again for helping me clean up. It would've taken twice as long if I'd done it myself."

Seungcheol turned around to face him, leaning up against the counter, "Least I could do, Josh. Tonight was a lot of fun. Your friends actually seemed to like me. Except, I think one of them tried to set me up with his sister..? That was kinda weird-"

Joshua nearly facepalmed at that information, "Oh my god," he groaned, rubbing his forehead, "I'm so sorry about that. Hansol likes to think he has a taste for matchmaking but he really doesn't."

"It's ok it's ok! I was flattered of course, but I'm not interested in...uh," he paused, scrunching his nose, and glanced away from Josh, "SO ANYWAY, those cookies we had during Oneg were delicious, where did you buy them?" He asked awkwardly, his voice raising an octave as he changed the subject. 

"I don't know..Soonyoung brought them," Josh shrugged, pushing open the door that led to the social hall, "Alright, everything's done. You can head out if you want, I've just gotta lock up."

The two left the social hall and went into the lobby, approaching the front door, where Seungcheol recollected his coat and put it on.

Josh watched him, an impulsive idea popping into his sleep-deprived brain, "Wait, Seungcheol."

He paused, looking up at him, "Yeah?"

"Do you..wanna go grab dinner first? I dunno about you, but I didn't have much during oneg," he said tentatively, his grip tightening around his keys. 

His face lit up, "Sure. Do you want to go to the convenience store on the next block?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Joshua said as they left the building, and he locked up the door. 

Once outside, Seungcheol patted each of his pockets, a look of panic spreading across his face. He put a cautious hand on Joshua's shoulder, "Hey, I think I left my wallet in my car..I'm going to run back and get it. I'll be right back," he murmured, waiting for him to nod in reply before fleeing. 

Joshua watched him run around the building and disappear from sight. He assumed Seungcheol had parked on the Main Street, since it was the nearest parking lot to the temple. 

He then remembered that he should probably tell Chan that he'll be home late. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, opening messages. 

Getting dinner with Seungcheol.   
Will Be home late.   
_Chan_  
OK. Don't get kidnapped. 

Very funny -_-

He put his phone away, rocking back and forth on his heels, still waiting for Seungcheol to return, "How far away did he park? Jeez." He mumbled out loud, looking around expectantly. The wind howled, sending a chill down his spine. Several minutes had passed, and Josh was nearly ready to go looking for Seungcheol. 

"AAAAA!!"  
"OH MY GOD!"  
"SOMEONE CALL 911!"

The loud commotion, something of an angry mob, came from the nearby street. People were yelling and cursing and such. Joshua decided to follow the noise to see what was going on, considering the possibility that Seokmin was trying to fight someone again. He hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of that incident. He ran to the Main Street, and saw at least a dozen people crowded around Seokmin's tattoo parlor, all in various states of panic.   
The window that'd been broken was covered with a tarp, but Joshua could see that the door had been completely ripped off its hinges.   
Joshua wanted to see what was going on inside, but all he saw was the people freaking out in front of him. He tried walking around to the other side of the crowd to see, and he was able to see Jeonghan running out of the tattoo shop yelling something along the lines of "I NEED POLICE FUCKING HERE!" He said some other things too, but it sounded like it was in another language. Joshua would hazard a guess that it was more swears. 

Joshua felt hands on his his shoulders. He spun around, and was relieved to see Seungcheol standing closely in front of him, "What the hell is happening?" He asked breathlessly, his fingers nervously grabbing at Joshua's shirt. 

For some reason, the tiny action made Josh's heart flutter a little bit, but this was obviously not the time to think about such things. Before he could answer, someone started yelling. It wasn't Jeonghan though, it was a different male voice that Joshua didn't recognize, "I BET IT WAS THAT DAMN VAMPIRE! THE COUNT DID IT, I JUST KNOW IT! IT WAS THE COUNT!"

Seungcheol and Joshua exchanged a look that said _'we gotta get the fuck out of here!'_  
Grabbing Seungcheol's hand, Joshua pulled him away from the crowd. They ran out of the street, weaving between buildings and turning sharp corners.   
He could hear Seungcheol's panicked breathing behind him, and his grip tightening on his hand. The sound of the angry crown was left behind in the distance and eventually they arrived at the convenience store that they'd planned on going to anyway. 

They burst into the store, scaring the whits out of the unsuspecting cashier who was just innocently reading a comic book behind the check out counter. 

The two men were both doubled over in an attempt to catch their breath; their legs aching and their chests constricting.   
Joshua couldn't help but laugh a little at the audacity of the situation, "Dude.." He wheezed, standing up fully, "That was crazy!"

Seungcheol nodded, looking up at him, his whole face bright red and shiny with sweat, "Would you believe that's not the first time that's happened?"


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh and Seungcheol bond over dinner, learning more about each other.

**Still March 31; 9:38pm**

"This has happened before?" Joshua's eyes were probably the size of saucers, "Like,,this exact situation?!"

Seungcheol sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead, "Pretty much. This is why I basically never leave my house..I always end up in the wrong place in the wrong time and,,well, you've seen what happens."

Joshua let out a deep sigh, standing up a little straighter. He gave Seungcheol a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "I'm sorry that you have to live like this, dude. I wish there was something I could do to help you-"

"-If you guys aren't gonna buy anything, you're gonna have to take your soap opera outside," the convenience store cashier said plainly, glancing up from his comic book just long enough to give them both the evil eye. 

"Y-yeah, we'll buy something. Sorry," Josh mumbled in the cashier's general direction before speed-walking to one of the isles, where he picked up two packs of instant noodles, "Cheol, this good?"

Seungcheol approached the refrigerator, pulling out two small cans of Coke, "Perfect."  
The two approached the counter and paid for their food, heading to the back of the store, which housed a few tables and chairs, one which had a microwave. They heated up their instant noodles and went to a small table in the corner of the convenience store. 

They dined in near silence for a couple of minutes, except for the obvious fact that Joshua was thinking deeply about something. He stared blankly at the table, not lifting his gaze for nearly two minutes before he finally snapped out of it. 

He leaned back into his seat, humming tiredly as he stirred his noodles, "I want to do something to fix this. If there was some way to change people's mind about you.." He mused, shoving some noodles into his mouth, "mmfwhat-" he stopped to swallow his bite of food before continuing, "What if..we find out where all of this crazy stuff is coming from. Go to the real source of the problem. We can clear your name!"

Seungcheol bit his lip, hesitating to reply, "Josh..this isn't some badly-written fanfic where you and I can just team up and catch the bad guy all scooby doo style," he also kept his voice low, which was unnecessary since they were the only customers in the store.

Joshua was quiet for a moment, staring into his bowl as he thought, "We don't need to do that much. What if we just went to the tattoo parlor tomorrow to see what happened," he paused, seeing the uncertainty on Seungcheol's face, "If you agree, I'll buy you cookies after," he added. 

"Is that your last ditch attempt to get me to hang out with you?" His lip curled into a smirk as he raised an eyebrow at Joshua, not waiting for him to answer, "It worked. I'll do it, but not because I wanna play Sherlock, ok? It's Because I want to hang out with my new friend...and because my new friend promised me cookies."

They both broke out into shy chuckles, Joshua staring at the table to hide his reddening cheeks.

Seungcheol took a big bite of his noodles- reaching the end of his bowl- before speaking again, "Y'know, you're not what I expected from a Rabbi," the corner of his mouth tweaked into a smirk. 

"How so?"

"Well, I always thought Rabbis were super old, and had long beards, and were really wise and old fashioned, but you're not like that at all. I mean, except for the wise part-uh-I'm sure you're smart! Y'know what-I-um-Y'know what I mean right?" Seungcheol' face turned bright red the more flustered he became. He cleared his throat, recollecting his thoughts before continuing, "Well like..uh..When I heard the word Rabbi, I was expecting Dumbledore, but you're more like Harry Potter! Does that make sense? Please tell me that makes sense-"

"Cheol! Cheol..take a breather. Yes, I understand what you mean! It's ok," Joshua chuckled, sipping his cola, "I'm a lot more annoying than most Rabbis, yah?"

"Mayhaps.."

"Well you're also a lot different than what I expected," Josh continued, mindlessly twirling his chopsticks around in his hand, despite having long since finished his noodles.

He nearly wheezed, "Well YEAH, you expected me to be a fucking vampire!" He said sarcastically, causing them both to bust into laughter. 

"Seungcheol," Joshua began, resting his elbow on the table as he leaned forward in his seat, "When you mentioned that Hansol tried to set you up with his sister, you said that you were flattered, but weren't interested in.. and you stopped talking real suddenly, then you got all awkward and changed the subject," he couldn't help himself, his curiosity was getting the best of him, "If you don't mind my asking, what aren't you interested in exactly?" He knew that Seungcheol knew what he was really asking, he just hoped he wasn't overstepping his boundaries. 

Seungcheol took a deep breath, shrugging, "I'm not interested in..blind dates."

"Oh."

"..Or women."

"Oh?" Joshua tried to play it off casually, but he actually was a bit surprised and..happy? He bit back a smile, nodding at him in understanding. 

Seungcheol blushed, an apologetic look on his face, "I'm sorry, I've made it weird now-"

"No no no! You didn't!" Josh tried to assure him, "Actually...I'm not interested in women either," he admitted shyly, his ears burning. It wasn't something he really talked about, and he was still not used to saying it willy nilly. 

"That's something else we've got in common, I suppose," Seungcheol said, his cute, dimple-clad smile returning to his face as he sipped his cola. 

-

Since they'd both finished their dinner, the guys got up from the table and threw their trash away, leaving the convenience store. The sidewalks were now devoid of anyone really, only a couple of cars parked up against the edge of the street. The orange glow of the streetlights illuminated their path back to the temple, accompanied by the colorful neon signs hanging above what few establishments were still open at that hour. 

As they walked, Joshua decided to return to the matter at hand, "So what time do you want to start tomorrow? There's no Bar Mitzvahs scheduled, so I don't have to be at the temple. Is 9:00 ok?"

His face lit up, "Uh..I'm in, girlfriend! I mean-uh-I'm not actually calling you girlfriend-haha I only said that cause it rhymed-uh-it's kind of a saying..I don't know-um- sorry," he frantically backpedalled, once again fearing that he might've said something to offend his new friend. 

"Seungcheol! It's ok!" Josh gave him a playful nudge on the arm, "You don't need to be so careful about what you say around me."

Seungcheol replied with a hum and a feverish nod, smiling at him slightly. 

"oomf oh!" Joshua stumbled forward, tripping over his own feet and nearly falling on the ground if it weren't for Seungcheol catching him. 

"Woah! Did you have told much sacramental wine tonight?"

Joshua shook his head, recovering his footing and trying to ignore the fact that Seungcheol was holding him by the shoulders again, "No..I just-uh-I haven't slept in like 36 hours so.." he trailed off, biting his lip. 

"Ah, do you want me to drive you home? It's pretty late and all," Seungcheol mentioned, pulling out his car keys as they began walking down the sidewalk again.

"Yes actually. Thank you. And thank you for dinner aswell haha," Joshua smiled sleepily, turning the collar of his coat up against the harsh winds that were starting to roll in. They reached Seungcheol's car, a beat up Toyota pick-up with a large key mark down the driver's side door. Josh noticed but chose not to ask about it. 

Seungcheol unlocked the truck, opening the driver's door and climbing into the seat, waiting for Joshua to do the same on the passenger side. He watched Josh settle into the seat and buckle up, notching the tired groan that escaped his lips and the way he cracked his knuckles for the 56th time that night because it was probably a habit.  
Joshua turned to look at him, their eyes meeting for a couple seconds; awkward, but oddly comfortable. 

Seungcheol cleared his throat, leaning back against the headrest of his seat, "I'm glad we met," it came out a lot quieter than he'd intended. His voice was weak, and uncertain, but he knew that Josh heard him. 

"Me too."

And then they just stared at each other for a quiet, unbothered moment, only the moonlight to aid their view of each other. 

"Uh so should we-uh-go now?" Seungcheol suddenly asked, looking away. He jabbed his keys into the ignition and started the truck. 

Joshua stiffened in his seat, "mm hmm yup. Let's go."

"Ok..where do you live?"

"Turn left here," he began, "Great, now take a right here.."

-

They pulled into Joshua's apartment complex parking lot, Seungcheol parking in the first available spot. 

Joshua unbuckled his seat belt, "Thank you so much for taking me home," he sighed. 

"Can I walk you up?" Seungcheol blurted out innocently, immediately registering how that might've sounded, "I-Just..Y'know..I don't know..Um Uh-sorry.." he stuttered, scratching the back of his head. 

"Seungcheol." Joshua cut him off, staring at him again, "Please walk me up," he said, chuckling cutely, "Cmon let's go."

After clearing the parking lot, the two walked up the 4 flights of stairs until they reached Joshua's apartment door. The temperature had significantly dropped since they'd went to have dinner and they were both shivering into their coats a bit. 

"D-do you wanna come inside? I can make you some hot tea or something," Josh offered, steam escaping his mouth with each word due to the cold. The amber glow of the streetlights illuminated Seungcheol's pretty features, and Joshua suddenly realized he'd been staring more at Seungcheol's lips than his eyes. 

Seungcheol looked everywhere except at Joshua, hesitating for several seconds before answering, "I really would like to, but it's getting late, and I have to get home. I'm sorry. Thank you for t-t-tonight though, the service was wonderful and so are all of the people," he smiled sincerely, crows feet even forming around his eyes. 

"Maybe next time then. Thank you for dinner and for the ride. Goodnight, don't get kidnapped" Joshua blurted out hastily, waving goodbye to him as he opened his front door and stepped into apartment.  
He leaned against his door and sighed gratefully at the warmth of his home, "Don't get kidnapped? Seriously? I could've said "get home safe" but no, I said 'don't get kidnapped'," he scolded himself as he walked into his living room, "Heyy."

Much like every night, Chan was lounging on the couch, playing video games. He paused the game to greet his brother, "Heyyy. How was your date?" He asked in a mocking tone, smiling devilishly. 

Joshua picked up a pillow from the couch and chucked it at his head, "It wasn't a date, you dingus!" He whined, walking to the kitchen, getting a bottle of water from the fridge and gulping down like half of it all at once, "Ahh, it was an eventful night though," he began whistfully, returning to the living room and leaning up against the armchair adjacent to the couch. 

Chan rolled his eyes, "Spare me the details," he groaned. 

"Everyone at the temple loved Seungcheol," Joshua pressed on, completely disregarding Chan's bratty pleas for him to shut up, "Even Yoon Jeonghan introduced himself. After locking up, he and I were gonna go have dinner-"

"-I knew it was a date-"

"-LET ME TALK, CHAN. Anyway, there was a kidnapping and blah blah blah Seungcheol blah blah blah ran away blah blah blah it was a date blah blah blah..."

Chan had long since stopped listening. He couldn't care less about his older brother's escapades with his new 'vampire' friend. He just nodded along, occasionally giving an 'Uh huh' or a 'that's crazy dude' or something like that. All he was thinking about what what he was gonna eat for lunch the next day. He hoped it would be pizza. He really likes pizza. Mmm pizza..

"..And then he brought me home..and he walked me to the door... So yeah, pretty crazy night," Joshua finally finished his story, rocking back and forth on his heels. 

Chan cleared his throat, "Uh yeah aha, that's wild," he turned his attention back to the tv, unpausing his game. 

Josh stood up fully, rolling his eyes at him, "Ok, I'll stop cause I can tell you don't care. I'm gonna crash. Don't stay up too late. Goodnight!"

Chan mumbled a 'g'night' in reply. 

Joshua stumbled tiredly to his room, face-planting into his bed. He rolled over, rubbing his eyes, "Ugh, that was such a crazy night..." He thought out loud, staring at the ceiling as he recalled the events of the last couple of hours. His thoughts drifted to Seungcheol..having dinner with Seungcheol...Seungcheol smiling...Seungcheol laughing...Seungcheol Seungcheol Seungcheol-  
"God I am so sleep deprived.." he mumbled to himself, putting his hands over his face. He was so tired that he was starting to think crazy things.


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua and Seungcheol meet up with Jeonghan to find out what happened last night.

**April 1**

**Cheol**  
Good Morning, Josh :) You ready to   
hang out and get cookies?  
(sent 7:33am)

 **Cheol**  
I just realized it's really early. Sorry  
( sent 7:34am)

No no no, it's fine. I just woke  
up. Morning! Where do u  
wanna meet up?  
(sent 8:21am)

Joshua rolled out of bed, stumbling half-asleep out of his room and into the living room, where he was ever-so-rudely startled at the sound of video games and yelling. 

Chan, Jihoon, and Soonyoung were all sitting on the couch and playing Mario kart and screaming at each other. 

"SOONYOUNG I LOVE YOU BUT I SWEAR TO GOD I AM GONNA TAKE ONE OF THOSE FUCKING BLUE SHELLS AND BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH IT!" Jihoon yelled, as casually as ever. Murder threats really just came naturally to him. 

Joshua groaned, walking into the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of coffee, "Guys..why are you in my apartment?" He asked, not even looking up from his coffee mug. He was pretty much used to seeing his friends/employees in his flat; whether to do paperwork for the temple, play video games with Chan, or eat his food (Soonyoung has a bit of an obsession with Joshua's homemade peanut brittle), but it usually wasn't first thing on a Saturday morning. 

"Um, I live here?" Chan said, phrasing it more like a question, really. 

Joshua rolled his eyes, gulping down half of his coffee at once, "So," he began, leaning up against the counter, "I'm going to be out probably most of the morning. Please don't destroy the place while in gone!" He had to raise his voice to be heard over the sounds of the tv, but still received no response from them.   
He finished up the rest of the coffee, putting the mug in the sink and walking into the living room.  
He went and stood directly in front of the tv, prompting Chan to pause the game. 

"What?!" Soonyoung asked, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration as he set his Switch controller down on the coffee table. 

Knowing that they weren't listening to him the first time, Joshua repeated himself, "Please don't destroy the place while I'm gone. Also, we really don't need ANOTHER noise complaint, so cool it with the death threats and screaming. And Jihoon, leave my knives alone."

"Ok whatever, can you move now?" Chan ever-so-rudely replied, unpausing his game so they could continue playing. 

Joshua sighed, rubbing his forehead as he walked back to his bedroom, "Only 3 more years until he leaves for college.." He mumbled to himself, shutting his bedroom door behind him and walking to his closet to grab some clothes for the day. 

*beep beep beep*

He snatched his phone off of his nightstand, reading the notification carefully. 

**Cheol**  
I can pick you up if you'd like.   
10 right?  
(sent 9:45am)

Josh's eyes widened. 10:00? That's 15 minutes from right now! He considered asking to meet later, but it was already pretty late in the day and he didn't wanna inconvenience Seungcheol. He contemplated what to reply, wondering if it would be weird to put a smiley face. What about a winky face? No that'd be way too toward! He ultimately decided to be spontaneous and spring for the smiley face, through he still wasn't quite sure why he cared so much about a stupid text. 

That sounds good! See  
you at 10! :)  
(sent 9:46am)

-

_April 1; 10:01am_

"JOSH! SEUNGCHEOL IS HERE!" Chan yelled in the general direction of Joshua's bedroom, "Uh, you can come in. He'll be right out," he said to the guest. 

"Thank you," he mumbled, smiling politely. He stepped into the living room, seeing Jihoon and Soonyoung, "Good morning, guys."

"Morning, "Jihoon stood up, approaching him with an extended hand, "I don't believe we formally met last night. I'm Jihoon, president of the temple."

Seungcheol shook the guy's hand, "Ah yes, I'm Seungcheol. Nice to meet you."

Joshua slid into the living room, "H-hey," he chuckled anxiously, running his fingers through his hair, which was sticking up in every direction because he didn't have time to brush it. He approached Seungcheol, giving him a flustered smile, "Good morning. Sorry for making you wait."

He smiled sincerely, shaking his head, "No problem at all. You ready to go?"

-

"Ok so I was thinking that we should go to the scene of the crime first," Seungcheol suggested as they got into his car. 

Joshua let out a small chuckled, running his fingers through his messy hair, "Ok Sherlock. Let's do that."

"If I'm Sherlock, are you John Watson?" Seungcheol asked, pulling out of the parking lot. 

"You watch Sherlock?!"

"Is Irene Adler still alive?" 

Joshua raised his neatly-groomed eyebrows, "I-I don't know. They didn't make it clear on the show."

Seungcheol bit his lip, glancing at him, "Oh yeah..alright well anyway, yes I love Sherlock."

The two rolled up on the Main Street with the intention of going into the tattoo shop.  
Seungcheol was relieved to see that no one was outside, "Good good. No angry mob to chase us three blocks.." he mumbled to himself, parking on the side of the road. 

They got out of the car, walking up to the quiet storefront. The shattered window was still tarped over, and now the broken door was too. There was no loud rock music blaring from inside. It was dead and desolate, much like the rest of the town was these days. 

"What the hell happened here last night," Joshua asked rhetorically, looking at Seungcheol haggardly. 

Shrugging, he turned to walk back to his car, "Beats me. I didn't see any more than you did," he stopped, his eyes suddenly lighting up, "Wait! The florist was there! He'd know!"

"Jeonghan? I suppose," Joshua crosses the street, Seungcheol close behind.

Upon approaching the flower shop, they noticed that the lights were off and Jeonghan wasn't inside. Getting even closer, Joshua saw the small note on the door handle that read, _’closed because emergency.’_

"Wait to be specific, Yoon.." Joshua sighed, leaning up against the door, "Well now what do we do?"

"Cookies?"

"I will get you the cookies, I promise!" He checked his phone for the time, biting his lip, "Ugh but I wanna know what happened!" Josh's expression quickly changed from frustration to desperation. 

"Rabbi?" A small voice came from behind Seungcheol. 

He turned around, taking in a surprised breath, "Mr. Yoon, hello!" He announced, a bit awkwardly. 

"Good morning!" Joshua added, giving a slight wave to the man approaching him. 

"No. Very bad morning," Jeonghan mumbled, hardly acknowledging either of them. He was looking ROUGH alright. His eyes were adorned with dark circles, and his hair was messy and unbrushed.

Joshua stepped away from the door, allowing the florist to unlock it, "I saw the commotion last night. What happened?"

Jeonghan turned around to looked at both of them, a discomforted expression washing over him almost instantly, "Uh..come inside," he began, opening the door to them. 

They went inside the dark flower shop, watching as Jeonghan set his things down on the front desk, slumping against the counter in exhaustion, "Forgive me, Rabbi. I've had difficult 12 hours," he paused rubbing his tired eyes, "Seokmin and me had reservations for a fancy dinner last night. It was our 2 years anniversary."

"Oh, congratulations!" Seungcheol mumbled, smiling slightly. 

Jeonghan lifted his gaze toward him, smiling politely, "Thanks...anyway, I was walking over to tattoo shop when I heard yelling. A bunch of people gathered around, and I had to push my way to get to inside the shop. Seokmin was..well-I-some guys..he.." he trailed off, his eyes glassing over, "Someone wanted to-t-to hurt him."

"Wait what?! Is he ok?!" Joshua took a step forward, crossing his arms. His heart dropped into his stomach and his mind immediately jumped to a worst case scenario. 

Jeonghan slowly nodded, a couple tears dripping down his pale cheeks, "He will be hopefully. I stayed with him in the hospital last night, that's why I'm so.."

"Disheveled?"

"Zombie-ish?"

"A hot mess?"

"I was gonna say TIRED," Jeonghan cut off their guessing, "Anyway, I didn't see who did it at him, but when I find out, they're gonna wish they never touched my boyfriend," he whimpered, wiping his eyes with his hoodie sleeve, "They're gonna b-be someone's bitch in prison."

Joshua and Seungcheol looked at each other with a shared expression of _'that escalated quickly'._

"Well, if there's anything we can do to help, don't hesitate ask, ok?" Joshua assured, stepping back towards the front door, "I hope Seokmin recovers soon and that you catch whoever did this."

Seungcheol tried to follow him towards the door, "Maybe it's the same bastard who tries to ruin MY life," he muttered under his breath towards Joshua before turning around and flashing a quick wave goodbye at the crying man behind him. 

Joshua has his hand on the door handle when-

"Wait what?" 

The two stopped in their tracks.

"What did you say, Seungcheol?" Jeonghan continued, his party tears appeared to have stopped. 

Seungcheol pursed his lips, tilting his head slightly, "Uh, well, I was just-"

"-Well I'm sure you'd know, Jeonghan," Joshua cut him off, putting his arm around Seungcheol as if to say _'don't worry, I'll get us out of this'._ He continued seemlessly, "He gets harassed on the street every day. Everybody is afraid of him. He's been made out to be some sort of psycho criminal."

Jeonghan opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, "I-uh-well.." he took a deep breath, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. He paused for some time before finally speaking, "Maybe I owe both of you an apology."

"Jeonghan..what did you do?" Joshua asked, his grip tightening on Seungcheol's shoulder slightly. 

The long-haired man let out a tired sigh, "I may have...embellished my stories a little bit."

"How much of a little bit?" 

"What's the craziest thing you've heard?"

"That I'm a manic, child abducting, cannibalistic vampire," Seungcheol's eyes were downcast, out of both embarrassment and frustration. 

Jeonghan nodded slowly, "Ok actually that's way worse than anything I said. I might've joked that you 'eat children' once or twice, but I didn't expect anyone to take that seriously," he explained with an apologetic look on his face, "I'm really sorry, Seungcheol."

Letting out a deep sigh and crossing his pale arms in front of his chest, Seungcheol replied slowly, "I suppose..I can forgive you for this. Water under the bridge, Jeonghan."  
He didn't want to put up a fight, the poor guy had been through enough that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is greatly appreciated :) drop a comment if you feel like it


	8. VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungcheol comes to Joshua’s house to hang out, and they’re met with a new set of challenges moving forward from the “incident”

"After we pick up the cookies, do you wanna come over and hang out for a bit? We have MarioKart and snacks, plus Soonyoung and Jihoon are there," Joshua asked once he and Seungcheol left Jeonghan's shop and got back into the car. 

He thought for a moment, buckling his seatbelt and starting the car, "Do you have any booze?"

Joshua blinked at him in befuddlement, "It's 11am, Hun," he said dryly.

"Did you just call me hun?" Seungcheol asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

Josh went stiff, "Uh, sorry. It's just a thing..I say..to people.." he trailed off, staring out the window and hoping that Seungcheol would change the subject. 

"I haven't heard you say it to anyone else."

"Well," Josh began, knowing that he was basically floundering, "I say it to Chan. And also Hansol sometimes, and Jihoon," he explained, taking a shallow breath. He didn't know why he was suddenly so anxious. 

Seungcheol glanced over at him as he pulled out onto the road, "So I guess you usually say it to people you're close with?"

"Well yeah, I guess."

"So does that mean you think we're close?"

God, Josh didn't want to have to answer that. 

"I think that we seem to have a great relationship, despite only having known each other for a couple of days. We have a lot in common, and we get along quite well," he hated that answer. It sounded so robotic and rehearsed, but Joshua also didn't want to be too clingy too fast and scare him away, "Do you agree?"

They reached a stop light, and Seungcheol turned to look him in the eyes. A stare, but a soft stare. A kind one, where he smiled slightly and let out a little sigh, "Yeah, I agree. Very much." He said. 

And Joshua felt...excited, anxious, relieved, embarrassed, and safe all at the same time. He felt warmth spreading through his body as his gaze flickered from Seungcheol's eyes, to his lips, to his eyes again. That feeling. He knew that feeling...and it scared him.   
He looked away, staring straight through the windshield and refusing to look anywhere else; his was heart pounding, "Anyway, to answer your question; Yes, I have booze."

-  
 _11:24am_

After unlocking his front door, Joshua entered his flat with Seungcheol, announcing himself loudly, "WE'RE BACK AND WE HAVE COOKIES!"   
He was met with no response, however he did recieve quite the shock when he walked into the living room and saw not only Chan, Jihoon, and Soonyoung, but also Hansol, Wonwoo, Minghao, Junhui, Mingyu, and one of Chan's school friends, Seungkwan. 

Seungkwan had only been over a few times before, but he seemed like a sweet kid. He shared Chan's love of video games, and was also obsessed with Beyoncé. He had blue hair, and always brought snacks when he came to visit.   
He was definitely Josh's favorite amongst Chan's friends, and they seemed pretty close. If fact, Josh kinda suspected that something a little more than platonic was going on between those two, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. 

Music was playing, snacks littered every table, the tv was on, it was basically a party. Joshua could feel his face getting hot once he processed the situation, "Stay right here, hun," he said to Seungcheol discreetly, giving him a fleeting pat on the shoulder.   
He stormed over to Chan, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him into his bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

Joshua could see that Chan knew that he was in trouble, what with the fact that he was as white as a sheet and sweating bullets.

"This.." He stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Chan..you can't-" Josh took another breath, using every fiber of his self control not to yell at his brother, "You need to tell me before inviting people over, even if it's our friends. It's fine if it's JUST Seungkwan, or JUST Jihoon and Soonyoung, but this? This?! Come on dude!"

Chan put his hands up defensively, "Look, it wasn't totally my fault! Ji and Soonyoung were here, and I invited Seungkwan over too. Soonyoung asked if he could invite Hansol, and I said sure. Hansol is an idiot and he brought Minghao and Junhui with him. Junhui told Wonwoo and Mingyu that we were having a party, and so they showed up too!" He looked almost as panicked as Josh was. 

Joshua braced him by the shoulder, "Ok dude, I-ugh-I understand. We've all been there, lemme tell you, this one time in colleg-NO no no, there's no time for that story. Ok, It sucks that things got out of hand, and I'm not mad at you-ok I'm a little mad- but really, it's gonna be fine. Just,,try to enjoy this I guess. At least, that's what I'll do. Now if you'll excuse me, Seungcheol is waiting at the front door, probably overwhelmed by the party that neither of us knew to expect," he explained, leaving Chan's bedroom and heading back to the living room, where he saw something he REALLY didn't expect. 

Seungcheol was dancing on top of the kitchen table with a wii controller in his hand. Apparently he and Seungkwan decided to try 'Extreme Just Dance'.

Seungkwan was on top of the living room coffee table, and they were dancing to a Beyoncé song, and everyone else was cheering them on.   
Seungcheol happened to be winning..by a lot. 

Joshua was kind of impressed, he didn't imagine Seungcheol would be down for something like that, but then again, he was wrong a lot. He watched as Seungcheol jumped, gyrated, and hoe-dropped like nobody's business. Josh couldn't help but smile at it. 

-  
 _1:30pm_

The music and video games had been abandoned, and by this point all of the party guests were sitting around the living room, having beers, expect for Chan, Seungkwan, and Minghao, who were having apple juice. 

"..And that's the story of the Értóng Shāshôu," Minghao concluded his tale, shuddering slightly as he recalled his memories of the horrible tale, "So-uh-thanks for asking, Seungcheol."

Chan leaned foward in his seat, "Seungcheol, I've been meaning to ask, how'd you even get that nickname? 'The Count'? Are you actually a count or was that just part of the rumors?"

"A little of both," he began, staring at the ceiling as he thought carefully about his answer, "My friends used to call me that back when I lived in Korea, because I..uh.." he glanced around the room, gulping before he continued, "Because..well because I have dyscalculia."

"What's that?" Chan asked, his eyes widening in curiosity, "It sounds like a disease or something."

Joshua snapped a frustrated gaze towards him, "Chan!"

Seungcheol chuckled a little, "No no, It just means I have a really hard time with numbers and math and stuff," he said, continuing his story, "My friends called me _"the count"_ because I couldn't."

Everyone let out a quiet "ooooohh" of understanding.

"When I moved here, I introduced myself to a few people as 'the count' to be funny. But they ended up using in against me."

Joshua, sensing the impending awkward silence that was about to follow, jumped in with a subject change, "Does anyone want to watch a movie? We have so many snacks, I'd hate for it to go to waste.."

Everyone got up to get their snacks, or use the bathroom, or get a blanket. The apartment buzzed with chatter, mostly variations of "I think we should watch ____" or "as long as we don't watch ___" 

Joshua comfied up in his usual seat on the couch, spreading a soft blanket over his lap.  
Noticing that Seungcheol had walked into the living room, he patted the seat next to him, "Come sit, hun."

Seungcheol did just that, plopping down next to Joshua and allowing him to spread the blanket over both of them. He couldn't help but smirk a little upon hearing Joshua's term of endearment again.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Joshua leaned closer to Seungcheol, "What do you want to watch?" He asked in hushed tone, disregarding the suggestions coming from the other guys. 

He shrugged, a little surprised by being asked about his opinion, "I guess Heathers. It was my favorite movie as kid, I'd always watch it before bed," he said, an excited smile spreading across his face, "I think I've watched it at least 100 times, I know almost all the dialogue by heart," Seungcheol continued, chuckling shyly as he kept his gaze on the floor. 

Joshua looked around the room, then back at Seungcheol; a gentle smile crept onto his face. At that moment, he just felt so..home. All of his friends and family were together, enjoying snacks and drinks, and getting comfortable to watch a movie. He temporarily forgot about all of their problems because everything just felt so natural. When did this happen? When did everything change and become so..so comfortable?

Seungcheol caught him staring, returning it with an equally pleasant one, "What you smiling at?" He asked quietly, putting a gentle hand on Josh's knee. 

"Cheol, how did we get here?" 

"I don't know.." Seungcheol trailed off, smiling back at him, "I guess somewhere along the line, we did something right."

Nodding, Joshua put his arm around him, "I guess so," he said, turning his attention back to the tv so he could find Heathers on Netflix. 

-  
 _2:38pm_

With the lights off and the curtains drawn, Joshua's living room was illuminated only by the tv screen, empty beer cans and chip bags littered the floor, and Joshua had no idea what was going on in the movie because all he could think about what the fact that Seungcheol's head was on his shoulder. 

He didn't want to stiffen up too much because he didn't want Seungcheol to think he was uncomfortable, but he also didn't want to move too much because he didn't want to wake him in case he was sleeping. Was Joshua over-thinking this? Yeah he might have been over-thinking this. 

***KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK***

Nearly everyone was startled out of their skin at the sudden, loud knock. Joshua patted Seungcheol on the back to signal him to lift his head, "I'll get it!" He announced, walking lazily out of the living room while everyone else watched the movie. He yanked the front door open. 

In front of him stood, intimidatingly, a police officer. 

"Is there a-a-a problem officer?" Joshua asked, chills running down his body. He tried to puff out his chest and put on a brave face, but it was proving difficult in the face of someone with so much power. 

"I'm Officer Ramiro from the New Transylvania PD," she began gruffly, furrowing her eyebrows and tilting her head to the side, "Is Choi Seungcheol here?"

Joshua's alarm bells were going off and he felt the need to proceed with this situation as cautiously as possible, "Why would you like to know, Officer?"

"I just need to ask him a couple of questions."

He let out a shallow breath, his lower lip curling between his teeth, "Ok," he whispered, turning around, "Seungcheol, can you come here?!" He yelled into the living room before turning back around to face the cop. 

The sound of bare feet pattering on hard wood floor got louder until Seungcheol was right behind him, tentatively grabbing at the end of Joshua's sweater sleeve, their hands bushing together slightly, "Hi Officer," he said, but it sounded more like a question. 

"Choi Seungcheol?" 

"That's me."

"You're under arrest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is appreciated ❤️ Kudos and comments encourage me to continue posting


	9. IX

"You're under arrest for the assault and battery of Lee Seokmin. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you."

Joshua's heart plummeted into his stomach, his head was spinning. The things the cop was saying just went in one ear and out the other, the sentences being mushed into incomprehensible garbage in between. He stopped listening after 'assault and battery of Lee Seokmin'. They think Seungcheol did that? Why would they think Seungcheol did that?  
The cop reached for her handcuffs, and Josh grabbed Seungcheol by the shoulders, "No! This is crazy! He didn't do that!"

"Sir! Please stand down!" The cop ordered, pulling Seungcheol out of Joshua's grip as she began cuffing him, "I don't want to have to use force."

With his remaining free hand, Seungcheol reached out and grabbed at Joshua's hand, "Josh, you know I didn't do it, right? I'll be fine, don't worry about me!" The touch was fleeting, and Seungcheol was being dragged away as he spoke. 

Joshua watched, numbly, as Seungcheol allowed the Officer to drag him down the stairs, and push him into the back of a squad car. He went back inside, tail between his legs and a lump in his throat. 

"What the hell happened?" Mingyu asked, jumping up from the couch. Everyone stared at Joshua expectantly, wrestless for an explanation. 

He let out a pained sigh, "Seungcheol just got arrested."

-  
 **7:45pm**

_'Is this really happening? His shoes are still by the door. His coat is still in my living room. It was just this afternoon that we were cuddled up on the couch together, watching a movie. Something could happen. I shouldn't be this nervous..fuck I'm so nervous.'_

His chest tightened, shaking fingers running through his messed up hair. 

"Josh, you need to eat dinner."

He looked up, swallowing thickly. An untouched plate of Mac n cheese sat in front of him. He'd zoned out again; he was too much of a mess to eat right now anyway. 

"Please..just a little," Chan said under his breath, looking across the table at him with sad eyes.

He looked to his left, where Jihoon sat, bearing the same expression as Chan. He nodded at Joshua, encouraging him to continue. 

After the incident, the guys decided to stick around for the rest of the day. Not intrusively, they were just chilling and doing their own thing, but they knew Joshua didn't like to be left alone when he was upset. 

Joshua sighed, forcing a feverish bite of macaroni into his mouth, "There, I ate," he sighed, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms like a child throwing a tantrum. 

"It's going to be ok, Mr. Rabbi."  
Minghao shouldn't have said anything. 

"No," Josh leaned forward again, "Something could happen."

"What do you mean?"

"He's sitting in a jail cell right now, surrounded by thugs, drug dealers, and god knows who else. You know people like him and I can't go to jail!"

Minghao raised his eyebrows, lowering his voice, "..Korean?"

"NO-"

"Josh.." Chan began, more as a warning than anything. He took a shallow breath, cocking his head at his brother. 

Joshua nodded slowly, "Ok...I'm just..so worried."

_*ring ring-*_

Joshua's phone was already up to his ear before the second ring even finished, "Hello?"

Everyone waited in anticipation. Was this the phone call that they'd been waiting for?

Joshua slumped, "Ugh, no THANKS. Bye." he whined, hanging up and putting his phone back onto the table, "Telemarketers.."

_*ring ring-*_

Again. 

"Hello?" His voice was shaky, and so was his hand, "Yes. Y-yes, I will.. Thank you sir," he stuttered out, jumping out of his seat, "Thank you! Ok, I will."

He turned to face Jihoon and Minghao, his red tinged cheeks lifting in a much-awaited smile. 

Jihoon raised an eyebrow, "Well?"

"Everything," Joshua paused to take a shallow breath, "Is gonna be ok."

-

Perhaps it was a way to cope with a dark situation, or maybe they were just crackheads, but they needed something to occupy themselves. 

Hansol and Chan were standing on top of the coffee table and kitchen counter respectively, wiimotes in hand and sunglasses on. They were as serious as could be, preparing for the Just Dance game of a lifetime. 

Wonwoo played as the announcer, using a beer bottle as a microphone, "In this corner; hailing from New York and raised by hippies, we've got everyone's favorite songleader, HANSOOOOOL!" He boomed, pausing to allow everyone to cheer for a few seconds,  
"In THIS corner: he may be young, but he's got skills. He thinks 24 is old, and his big brother signs my paychecks, it's CHAAAANNNNN!!!" Once again, Wonwoo paused for the cheers before continuing, "LETS GET READY TO RUMBLEEE!!"

🎼 _Shawty had them apple bottom jeans (jeans), boots with the fur (with the fur). The whole club was lookin at her. She hit the flo', next thing you know, Shawty got low low low low-_

*thud*

Wonwoo let out a small gasp, nearly dropping his microphone, "OOH and apparently Chan got a little too low, cause he has fallen off of the counter and now appears to be not getting up-"

"-Stop narrating and help him, you idiot!" Jihoon cut Wonwoo off suddenly. They both ran to Chan's aide, "Dude are you good?"

"N-NO!" The boy nearly screamed, clutching his elbow. He was shaking, refusing to move or let anyone touch him. 

Everyone else began to crowd around him, all of them completely panicked.   
Soonyoung rushed in from the kitchen, holding an ice pack. He tossed it to Jihoon, who gave it to Chan. 

"FUCK, IT HURTS REALLY BAD," Chan yelled, kinda fighting off tears at that point. 

Wonwoo stood up, taking a deep breath, "Ok, everyone just calm down. We need to go to the hospital."

Chan let out a low growl, "YEAH G-GENIUS, HOSPITAL," he slowly tried to stand up, gasping in pain every time his arm moved in the slightest. Tears dripping down his beet-red cheeks, he let out a choked sob. 

Wonwoo scrambled to grab his coat and keys while also throwing out directions to everyone, "I'm taking Chan to the hospital. Jihoon, Junhui, and Soonyoung, you guys can come too, for emotional support."

"Coolio," Junhui said, putting on his coat and grabbing a bag of chips for the road. 

"Hansol, Minghao, and Mingyu; stay here and clean this place up. Josh is gonna kill us if we leave all this crap here," he said, gesturing to the dozens of empty bottles, snack bags, and misplaced furniture that littered the apartment. 

"WAIT!" Minghao suddenly shouted, holding his hands out as to get everyone to stop.

Chan groaned, "Ugh what now?" He stomped his foot, then immediately recoiling in pain because he accidentally moved his arm. 

"You've all been drinking, you can't drive him," he said in a really sassy tone, putting his hands on his his hips, "I'm driving! Let's go, baby!" He announced before running out of the flat.

"Don't call me 'baby', it's weird," Chan mumbled as he was carefully ushered out of the apartment by Wonwoo, Jihoon, and Soonyoung. 

Junhui stayed, knowing there wasn't enough room in Wonwoo's car for him. He reentered the living room, "So...we're supposed to clean, yah?" He sighed, twirling a piece of his bleach-blonde hair in front of his face. 

"Yeah..but maybe we could play another round of extreme just dance first?" Hansol asked, raising his eyebrows at Junhui. 

"I'VE GOT A BETTER IDEA!" Mingyu announced, ducking behind the kitchen table to retrieve something from his backpack. He reappeared wearing a long, pink wig. He picked up a beer bottle and held it like a microphone, "Queens..are you ready to lip sync for your life?" He asked, attempting to do a Rupaul voice. 

Choosing to ignore the fact that Mingyu apparently carried around a wig all the time, they both nodded fervently, "Just the one round, then we'll clean," Hansol insisted.


	10. X

"DUDE, could you drive ANY slower?" Chan complained, kicking the back of the driver's seat, "I'm dying back here, and my ice is all melted."

Minghao was equally, if not more, panicked, "I am not going to get into an accident.!"

"God, why did I let you drive us?!" Wonwoo groaned, looking around the car in disbelief. There was a teddy bear sticking out of the glove compartment, a half-eaten sandwich in the cup holder, and a plastic flamingo in the trunk, "Hao, you gotta clean this car."

"FASTER!" Chan whined again, kicking the drivers seat some more. 

"Do you want me to speed?!" Minghao asked sarcastically. 

"YES!!" The boy yelled. 

Wonwoo's eyes widened, he reached back and smacked Chan on the leg because he couldn't reach his head, "Over my dead body. Just, y'know, GO FASTER!" 

_[spongebob narrator voice]_   
_10 minutes later_

The guys came running into the ER, rushing straight to the front desk, and unintentionally startling the receptionist, "This kid-uh-his arm-um-Doctor please.?" Wonwoo stuttered, leaning on to the counter. 

"Sir, please calm down and fill out this form," She said, shoving a clip board and pen at him. 

Wonwoo, Seungkwan, Jihoon, Soonyoung, Minghao, and a still-crying Chan all went to the waiting room to sit. 

Wonwoo sighed, scanning over the sign-in form that he had to fill out. He clicked the pen a few times, "Ok, name?"

"Won, you know m-my name," Chan sniffled. If he didn't have a bum elbow, he'd punch Wonwoo in the arm. 

"Ok ok," -Wonwoo continued, hastily scribbling onto the form- "legal guardian?"

"Joshua Hong-OH MY GOD JOSH, we need to call him!" Soonyoung shouted, standing up suddenly and fishing around for his phone. 

Chan's eyes widened, "No no no don't! You know how he is, he'd have a heart attack!"

"Fine. Fine fine fine. We won't tell him," Jihoon began, taking on a severe tone, "But it's your funeral when we get back to the apartment and he freaks."

-

Joshua drove Seungcheol's car to the Police Station, nearly getting into an accident on the highway because he felt that 55mph just wasn't fast enough.   
He couldn't explain why he cared so much or why was so incredibly determined to get Seungcheol out of this situation; or maybe he could explain, he just didn't want to.   
He burst into the police office like a frazzled soccer mom and demanded to know exactly what was going on. Maybe it was because he and Seungcheol were friends. Friends, yes..that's what it is.

"What's his name again?" An officer asked, typing something into his computer as he occasionally looked up at Joshua. 

"Choi Seungcheol. He was arrested completely out of nowhere and I'm here post bail if I can. I don't know, I just need to see him," Joshua repeated for what felt like the 24th time to the 24th Officer, "Can you at least tell me why you arrested him?"

"Please just have a seat in the waiting area. We'll get to you as soon as he can."

With a grumble, Joshua went to sit back down in one of the waiting chairs, resting his elbows on his knees. 

"Is he your boyfriend or something?"

Joshua looked up, noticing the young man sitting two chairs down from him, looking at him in curiously. He cleared his throat, "Uh, no."

The man nodded, "My mistake. How do you know him then?" He followed up. He had soft-looking purple hair that reached just above his shoulders and a bright smile. He was actually quite pretty for a man, Josh thought. 

"I...uh well we're friends. I mean, I've only known him for like a week," he began, scratching his head. 

The guy hummed in reply, "Interesting. You must be a very good person then," he explained, "Bailing someone you barely know out of jail without even knowing why they were arrested? You're either a complete idiot or.."

"Or?" Joshua coaxed. 

The man shot him a knowing glance, "Or you're completely whipped for him."

His stomach dropped, heat rushing to his face. He took in a shallow breath, biting the inside of his cheek and looking around the room. He wouldn't dignify that with a response, but his sudden silence elicited a small chuckle from the man.   
"What about you, why are you here?" Joshua asked. 

"My brother was a witness in some..incident..I dunno-anyway-he should be done soon. I'm Minki by the way, nice to meet you," he smiled, extending his hand for Joshua to shake. 

"Rabbi Joshua Hong," he replied, leaning back in his seat, "But you can call me Josh."

"Mr. Hong, the case had been processed and Choi Seungcheol is able to be released now," a different cop announced, walking into the waiting room with a clipboard in his hands. 

Josh stood up quickly, his heart racing as relief overcame him, "Released? You mean I don't have to bail him out or?" He asked, not wanted to get too excited too soon. There had to be some kind of catch. 

The cop shook his head, "No sir. We simply brought him in for questioning. He will be out shortly," the man said curtly, placing a stack of papers on the front desk and leaving again. 

Joshua was left to wait in anticipation, watching the door with bated breath for several more minutes until finally he looked away to check the clock on the wall. Was it already 9:45? Wow. 

"Josh?" A tiny, weak voice murmured from behind him.   
Seungcheol stood, hands folded in front of him and hair disheveled. Dark circles hung under his eyes, and he flashed a tired smile as he approached his friend. 

Joshua struggled to find something to say at first, "Cheol..hey," was all he could do. He opened his arms, and Seungcheol just about fell into them. 

He wrapped his arms tightly around Joshua's thin waist, burying his face into his shoulder "Thank you, Joshua," he rasped, "I've never been so happy to see anyone," the comment was muffled against Joshua's sweater, his fingers clawing at the hem of the fabric.   
They stayed that way for nearly a minute before finally pulling away, "Thank you for coming, and for waiting...and for believing me."

Joshua had a million questions, but he knew it was too soon to ask most of them, "I'm just glad you're ok. I mean, I can't imagine how bad it was..you were here all day, and barefoot," he ran his fingers through his hair, "Are you ok?"

Seungcheol nodded slowly, biting his lip, "Yeah. I'm fine. It wasn't actually that bad. I'm tired, but I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Joshua asked again, putting his arm around Seungcheol as they walked out of the police station. 

Leaning his head on Josh's shoulder, he sighed exhaustedly, "I'm sure, Josh."


	11. XI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this is definitely my favorite chapter so far in the story. For those who wanted to see some Cheolsoo fluff, this if for you!

Joshua and Seungcheol returned to Joshua's apartment and were greeted with a pleasant surprise. Apparently the guys had cleaned the entire apartment while Josh was gone. 

"Jihoon left a note for you," Chan said, not pulling his gaze away from the television. He was snuggled up under a blanket on the couch, "They all left about half an hour ago."

Kicking off their shoes and discarding their coats, the two men went into the kitchen, where sure enough, Josh found a post-it note on the counter. 

Josh,  
Mingyu, Hansol, and Junhui cleaned the house for you. You're welcome. Also please don't freak out about Chan's arm, it's just a hairline fracture. His follow up appointment at the doctor is May 4. Chan's had a rough few hours so please don't yell at him.  
-Jihoon

Joshua's eyes widened, "Chan!"

"What?" Was heard from the living room. 

Seungcheol, who'd read the note over his shoulder, shot him a warning look, "Ji said not to yell," he whispered. 

Sighing, Josh nodded, "NEVERMIND!" He opened up the refrigerator, "Want any water?" He asked, pulling a water bottle out and handing it to him. 

The other man leaned up against the counter, heavy eyebrows furrowed above his eyes as he looked at the note again, "Sure," he opened it, taking a sip. He could feel Joshua's eyes on him, but he kept his gaze on the floor, "Uh, Josh?"

"Yeah," he took a little step closer, looking at him with concern. The dim kitchen lighting was enough for him to see the flush on Seungcheol's cheeks, and his lower lip held between his teeth, "Something wrong?"

He swallowed hard, clearing his throat, "Um..I don't know how to ask this," Seungcheol glanced out the window at the night sky, "I'm scared to go home..alone..in the quiet..all by myself in a big empty house," it appeared hard for him to get the words out at a normal speaking volume, his voice breaking slightly on the last few words, "Any chance I could stay here tonight?"

Joshua would've said yes anyway, but before he could, Seungcheol started rambling. 

"No no, I'm sorry. That's-uh-I should've asked for that. You've barely known me a week, it's weird of me to ask. I'm sorry, you don't have to-" he sucked in a shallow breath, taking another sip of water and looking at Joshua, "I'm sorry. Y'know what, Just forget about it-"

"Seungcheol," it was louder than it needed to be, but it made him stop spiraling. Joshua reached out and gently pried the water bottle from his hands, setting it on the counter. In an uncharacteristically bold move, he grabbed both of Seungcheol's hands in his, looking him in the eyes and showing him a kind smile. 

"What are you doing?" Seungcheol began, looking confused, but slightly amused. 

"When I told you that you were always welcome here, I meant that shit," he whispered, staying still for a moment before letting go of Seungcheol and clearing his throat a bit, "So anyway, yeah you can stay," like night and day from a moment ago, he now seemed light and upbeat. 

The two left the kitchen and walked down the hallway, to the door at the end of it. Seungcheol wordlessly followed as Joshua rambled as he led the way, "This is my room," he opened the door and led Seungcheol inside. 

Seungcheol looked around the room, noticing the anime posters on the wall, books and clothes all over the floor, and unmade full-sized bed, "The more I learn about you, the more surprised I am that you're a Rabbi."

"Yeah?" Josh turned back around to smiles at him. 

Seungcheol smirks back at him, "Yeah."

Josh pried open the top drawer of his dresser, "I have some pajamas you can wear," he pulled out a pair of basketball shorts and tossed them to Seungcheol. Then he pulled out an oversized, lilac sweater and held it up, "Oh! Hm..You'd look cute in this."

Seungcheol bit back a smile, his cheeks heating up, "Stop.." he whined, catching the sweater after Josh tossed it to him. 

"What if I don't wanna?" Joshua chuckled, taking a few steps until he was right in front of him. He nudged Seungcheol on the arm, "You'd look so cute," he repeated, going as far as to boop him on the nose. 

Seungcheol stared at the ground, the flustered smile vanishing from his lips, "Stop, Joshua," he croaked, his voice barely above a whisper, "I'm gonna get ready for bed," he mumbled, pushing past him and going into the bathroom. 

Standing there, stunned, Joshua tried to figure out what just happened. Why did Seungcheol suddenly  
get so mad?   
Joshua quickly changed into his own pajamas, still  
trying to reason out the situation in his head. Maybe he took it too far? Maybe the nose boop pissed Seungcheol off for some reason?   
Josh was embarrassed; he'd pushed too far and made things weird, just like he always did. 

The bathroom door opened, startling Joshua out of his trance. Several minutes must've passed. 

"Bathroom's all yours," A raspy mumble came from Seungcheol as he tossed his clothes onto the floor and sat on Joshua's bed. 

-

Once Joshua finished up in the bathroom, he went back into his room, slightly surprised to see the light turned off.   
Seungcheol was laying on the bed, facing the wall. 

Joshua climbed into bed next to him, pulling the covers up. He faced Seungcheol, staring at the back of his hair that he could just barely make out through the slivers of light coming in through the window, "I dunno if you're awake but..I'm sorry if I crossed some kind of boundary earlier. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, and I won't do it again," he whispered, but it elicited no response, "Alright then, goodnight."

He turned to face the other way, wriggling into a comfortable position. He stopped cold in his tracks when he heard...a whimper?

A tiny little whimper that most wouldn't give a second thought to. Joshua stopped and waited a few more seconds, then he heard a sniffle, followed by another tiny whimper. 

"Cheol?" Joshua turned back to face him, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Seungcheol, are you ok?" 

Seungcheol's shoulders shook, and he pulled his knees up to his chest. Josh could hear him choke back a sob, "No.."

"Cheol, are you crying?" He reached over to his bedside table and turned on a lamp, filling the room with soft, warm light.

Seungcheol sat up suddenly, letting out another sob, "I'm sorry Josh," he managed to say. His cheeks were wet with tears and his lips were swollen from biting. He tried to say something else but it just came out as an incomprehensible whimper. 

Joshua didn't know what to do. Seungcheol was crying hysterically right in front of him, "Cheol? Hey..uh, it's ok. Just-uh-can you tell me what's wrong?" 

Burying his head in his hands, he coughed out another sob, shaking his head. 

Not knowing what to say, Joshua tentatively leaned closer to him, "D-do you want a hug?" Ok maybe that was a weird thing to ask, but apparently it was the right thing to ask. 

A moment of stillness passed, then Seungcheol threw his arms around him, clinging onto him for dear life as he sobbed, "I'm sorry Josh," was the only thing he said that Joshua could understand. 

Joshua sighed, "Don't-uh-don't be sorry. It's ok," he whispered, holding him by the back of the neck and the waist, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," his heart was beating way too fast, and his stomach felt weird. This wasn't right. 

Seungcheol buried his face into the crook of Josh's neck, fingers clawing at the hem of his shirt. Every sob felt like a punch to the gut and he wished he could stop but he couldn't. He could vaguely feel Josh's fingers carding through his hair, and he could hear the kind whispers in his ear.   
Joshua was safe. Joshua wasn't gonna hurt him. No one was gonna hurt him as long as he was with Joshua. He was warm, and soft, and he smelled like coffee and fabric softener.   
"I'm staining your shirt," Seungcheol mumbled into Josh's shoulder, his sobs having begun to die down.   
Joshua just chuckled quietly, and Seungcheol knew it because he could feel Josh's chest rumble. Even though he was crying, he couldn't help but smile a little. 

Joshua's hands found their way to each other, clasping behind Seungcheol's neck, even after the two pulled away from the hug. He traced circles into Seungcheol's nape, their foreheads were nearly touching, "Look at me," he whispered.

Seungcheol wiped a few more tears off of his cheeks, then looked up, letting his eyes meet his.   
Bloodshot, glassy, and tired; those eyes had seen some shit. 

Joshua just stared at him, his heart raced and warmth spread through his body. He opened his mouth to speak, but his breath was hitched and whatever he was gonna say completely escaped his brain. All he could think about was the fact that his fingers were clasped around Seungcheol's neck, and that they were leaning in so close to each other that he could feel Seungcheol's body heat, and how his eyes were stinging like he kinda wanted to cry but he also found himself staring at Seungcheol's lips that were right there and he could easily just lean in and-

"Do you like tea?"

WHAT? Of all the things Joshua could've said in that situation, he chose to say THAT.

Looking caught off guard for obvious reasons, Seungcheol pulled back from Josh's clutches, "Uh..yeah. I like tea," he whispered, tugging at his sweater paws. 

"Do you want me to make you some?" 

"Sure," he smiled a little, his cheeks felt tight and sticky from the dried tears. When Joshua got up to go to the kitchen, Seungcheol made the game-time decision to grab him by the wrist, "Wait," he blurted out. 

Joshua stared at him with wide eyes and a concerned frown, "What?"

"Can I go with you to the kitchen..while you make the tea?"

Smiling, Joshua nodded, "Of course," he said, grabbing Ssungcheol's hand and pulling him out of the room, and to the kitchen. The hard-wood floor was cold on their bare feet, and the kitchen was super dark, "Alright this will only take a moment."

Seungcheol sat down at the kitchen counter, watching intently as Joshua filled the kettle with water and fished around a drawer for some teabags. His gaze never left Joshua; the silhouette of his messy hair, his muscle shirt exposing his toned arms, and the little pouty face he made when he was concentrating, "Joshua."

He was waiting for the water to boil, leaning up against the counter across from where Seungcheol was sitting, "You don't need to explain yourself if you don't feel comfortable," he reiterated, looking down at his hands. 

"I want to talk about it," fiddling with his own fingers as he spoke, Seungcheol kept his eyes on Joshua, "I just couldn't when I was crying hysterically."

"Ok. So what was it? Was it the nose boop? Was it too much?" Josh bit his lip, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile. 

Seungcheol shook his head, "You didn't do anything wrong," he looked down again, letting out a deep sigh and willing himself not to start crying again, "The thing is..I lied to you when I said that the police station wasn't that bad-" he paused suddenly when he heard a sound coming from the stove. 

The tea kettle was done, and Joshua hastily poured the water into two mugs, garnishing each with a tea bag. They wordlessly walked back to Joshua's bedroom and sat on his bed, facing each other. The golden lamplight added a nice, warm vibe to the room that Seungcheol hadn't noticed while he was bawling hysterically earlier, "It-ugh I dunno-I..It was horrible, Josh," he said finally. 

"How so?"

"The police officers shoved me around, they didn't listen to me. They interrogated me, and they screamed, and threw things at me."

Josh's mouth hung open as he listened carefully. 

"Get this, they think I'm the one that tried to kill Seokmin. My court date is on Wednesday! And it's not even the end of it," he explained, watching Joshua's expression change to surprise, then sadness, then back to surprise, "I spent 4 hours in a holding cell...Those people, Joshua, it wasn't just petty thieves and teenage stoners. I was locked up in there with drug dealers, gang members, wife beaters..sex offenders...or worse," he set his tea mug down on the bedside table. His eyes stung and his vision started to go blurry, "P-people like us can't go t-to jail," he took a deep breath, mentally cursing himself when a few tears dripped down his cheeks, "They wanted to hurt me, Joshua."

Joshua didn't know what to say, "Oh my god..baby, I'm so sorry," he cooed, wiping a few tears off of Seungcheol's cheeks, hands lingering on his face for awhile, "I'm gonna make sure you don't go back there, ok?"

Seungcheol's face twisted into an unreadable expression. 

"What? What's wrong?" 

A bittersweet smile spread across his face, "Did you just call me baby?" He asked quietly, busting out laughing. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve, looking back up at Joshua. 

Joshua couldn't help but giggle as well, "Maybe I did.." he sipped his tea, "But seriously, we're gonna get this all straightened out. You're not going back there, not if I have anything to say about it."

Seungcheol's shoulders relaxed, feeling a huge relief from all the pent up stress. He didn't say anything, simply nodding at him. 

The two continued talking while they drank their tea. It was mostly just small talk to keep Seungcheol distracted from what was going on. Joshua was trying to keep the conversation light and chill but they somehow always circled around to the whole _situation_.

"Alright, it's almost 1am. You ready to go to bed?" Josh asked eventually, setting his now-empty mug on the bedside table. He watched as Seungcheol did the same thing, leaning across the bed and turning the lamp off. 

"I think I can actually fall asleep now," Seungcheol pointed out, laying down and nuzzling under the covers, watching as Joshua did the same. 

They faced each other, staring blankly through the darkness both hoping they were meeting each other's eyes.   
Joshua leaned in closer, until he could feel Seungcheol's warmth radiating off of him; he didn't understand why he liked that so much, or why it made his heart beat so fast.   
His hand found its way to Seungcheol's, lacing their fingers together, "I'm glad we talked. Thank you for telling me," he whispered, his other hand flying up to move Seungcheol's hair out of his face, "Cheol?"

"Yeah?"

Joshua could feel Seungcheol's breathing on him; their noses were nearly touching. Oddly, it wasn't uncomfortable, "Can I tell you something?" Another whisper drifted out into the darkness, finding its way into Seungcheol's ears. The whole situation was weirdly intimate, and Joshua kinda liked it. 

"What is it?" Seungcheol rubbed his thumb on the back of Josh's hand, his gaze lowering, them coming back up again. 

Gulping, Joshua continued, "I know it hasn't been long...but I am so glad I met you," he paused, his free hand traveling down to Seungcheol's waist, ghosting at the hem of his sweater, "Do you..want this? Do you like..this?"

Staying quiet for a couple long seconds, Seungcheol nodded slightly, the tip of his nose rubbing against Joshua's, "Yes..I do. I do."

"Good," he breathed, gulping as his gaze traveled down from his friend's eyes.   
Something came over Josh; a burst of fearlessness that he decided to grab onto. He took in a shallow breath, and pitched forward a couple of inches until his lips were touching Seungcheol's. Yes, really. It was gentle, and a bit hesitant, and then Joshua's fingers slipped under the hem of Seungcheol's shirt, and Seungcheol leaned into Joshua's mouth a little.   
Joshua didn't want to think about why he did it, or why Seungcheol was letting him do it. All he was thinking about was how soft Seungcheol's lips were against his, and how he giggled ever-so-slightly into the kiss, and how his hands were on him. His hands were on Joshua, tracing skin, scratching, leaving fiery tingles with every touch.   
Then Joshua pulled away.

Stillness. 

Both of them didn't move a muscle; maybe they were in shock from what just happened. Joshua certainly was, he'd never felt his heart beat so fast in his life, and the butterflies in his stomach had returned at full force.   
This was uncharted territory, and he didn't know what to say next, "Um...goodnight Cheol," he whispered, leaning back a little just so they weren't breathing each other's air anymore, "You're amazing," he mumbled, almost inaudibly, at the very end. 

Seungcheol was reeling, still under Josh's touch. He grabbed at Josh's hand again, interlocking their fingers, "Goodnight, Joshua," he whispered, letting his eyes flutter closed, "You're my best friend.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments ❤️ I love to hear from you


	12. XII

Seungcheol had stayed at Joshua's place every night since the incident; it soothes his anxieties to be with people, and Joshua was his only friend.   
They were basically attached at the hip, spending nearly every waking moment together. Going to the temple together, watching movies together, sharing a bed, and even sharing clothes sometimes.  
Seungcheol didn't want to be a burden though. He insisted on 'making himself useful', despite Joshua's constant assurance that it wasn't necessary.   
Of course, Joshua didn't hate waking up to a fresh pot of coffee in the morning..or having the grocery shopping be done while he was at work.   
And Chan certainly didn't hate the fact that he had someone else to play video games with, or the fact that Seungcheol made really good banana bread.   
The temporary arrangement worked for everyone. It worked enough that maybe Joshua secretly hoped it could become permanent. 

And just in case you were wondering, they never talked about the kiss. 

-

_April 5, 8:50am_

Tap tap tap

Tap tap tap

Tap tap-

"-Seungcheol," Joshua's calm voice cut through the eerie silence. 

For the last two minutes, Seungcheol had been leaning against his driver side door, fingers tapping against the roof of his car as he stared at the ground wordlessly. Before that, he paced back and forth for a couple of minutes, occasionally stealing a glance at Joshua, who watched the whole charade play out. 

"Seungcheol," Josh repeated, walking up to him. He braced him by the shoulders, "Look at me, Cheol."

He did as he was told, letting go of his car and instead letting his hands clasp around Joshua's waist, "Ok."

"Ok..," Josh leaned in close to him, close enough that he could practically hear Seungcheol's heart beating, "I know you're scared, but I promise that you're going to be ok," he said in a hushed voice, nudging his nose with his own. 

Even after meeting with a lawyer, going over their case, and getting their story straight, Seungcheol was still wildly freaked out about the trial; especially after he found out that he could get up to three years in jail. The whole situation was surreal; he was being accused for beating up his new friend's boyfriend. It was a horrible fever dream that's lasted four days. 

Nodding at Joshua, Seungcheol kept looking him in the eyes, "I don't want to go in there. I don't want to face Seokmin," he murmured, worry lines forming on his forehead. He tightened his hold on Joshua, fiddling with the hem of his coat. 

"I know," Josh ran his hand soothingly through the other's hair, leaving fiery touches wherever his fingers made contact with skin, "But they have nothing on you. It's all going to work out in the end," tilting his head slightly, he leaned in closer and both their gazes fell below each other's eyes. Joshua closed the gap between them, planting a gentle kiss on Seungcheol's lips, "I believe in you," he whispered against them before he slowly pulled away. 

Seungcheol nodded, smiling slightly, "Alright. Let's go in there and keep me from going to jail," he sighed, putting his hands on his hips. 

The two wordlessly walked through the parking lot and into the small courthouse building. Outside of the actual courtroom, the waiting area buzzed with people; apparently a trial like this was a big deal in this town.   
Seungcheol and Joshua fielded all sorts of strange stares as they made their way into the courtroom. 

Seungcheol's lawyer, Mr. Rodriguez, sat stiffly in the gallery, watching the door with a tired gaze, "Good morning, Mr. Choi, and Mr. Hong."

They each greeted him, exchanging nervous glances with each other before moving to take their seats. Seungcheol and Mr. Rodriguez filled the defendant's booth. Joshua sat in the front row of the gallery, right behind them. 

-

The trial of Lee v Choi began like any other. The judge explained the case against Seungcheol, then the prosecuting attorney got up and began her questioning. She was an intimidatingly tall, blonde woman with red glasses. Joshua thought she could be a librarian or a professor maybe. 

"The council would like to call Lee Seokmin to the stand to give his testimony."

Seokmin took a seat in the booth. His normally spiked-up hair was laying flat on his head, parted in the middle. He was sporting round, wire-rim glasses, which hardly covered the greenish-bluish-blackish bruise encircling his left eye. From his sweater sleeve peeked a hand that was wearing a pink cast. It was similar to the one Chan had after he fell of the kitchen counter like an idiot, but that's neither here nor there.

"Mr. Lee, can you tell me exactly what you were doing at 9:10pm, March 31, right before you were attacked?" The attorney asked, placing back and forth in front of the Judge's seat as she waited for an answer. 

Seokmin took a deep breath, staring at the ground, "I was in my shop. My last customer of the day had just left, and I was cleaning up one of my ink stations. I heard the bell ring, then I heard footsteps, then I was attacked."

"And did you see your attacker before the attack started?"

He paused briefly before answering, "Not really."

"And why is that?" The attorney pressed on, her voice going up in pitch as she asked her 3rd question. 

Seokmin adjusted his glasses, shifting him his seat slightly, "I had my back to the door. I heard the door open, then footsteps. When I turned around to greet him, he punched me in the face, knocking me out. When I was on the floor, he kicked me several times, cracking two of my ribs. My wrist was fractured.."

Joshua zoned out, glancing around the courtroom while his mind wandered, mostly about Seungcheol and what he'd do if Seungcheol went to jail.   
His gaze landed on the opposite side of the gallery, the sight pulling him from his thoughts.   
Jeonghan was sitting right behind the plaintiff's booth, not unexpectedly. Sitting right next to him-

 _'Oh my god, that guy looks super familiar WAIT A MINUTE that's the guy who threw the brick through Seokmin's window! What's he doing here!?'_ Joshua fid a double take to ensure that he was seeing things correctly. 

"No further questions for him, your honor, " Apparently Joshua had missed quite a bit, "I'd like to call my witness to the stand," Seokmin's lawyer stated, gesturing to the gallery. 

The brick-thrower stood up, approaching the judges booth. 

"Wait, he's a witness?!" Joshua said, accidentally out loud. He covered his mouth, sinking back in his chair as he watched in shock.

"Lee Sooman, you may take the stand," the judge said. 

"*Ahem*, Mr. Lee, you are the only witness to this case. Can you tell me exactly what you were doing when the crime occurred?" The lawyer asked, adjusting her glasses and she paced back and forth across the courtroom. 

Furrowing his eyebrows, Sooman sighed before answering, "I was riding my bike around town, and I rode past the shop right when it happened. I stopped and got off my bike to go help, but it was too late. The perp came running out of the shop and I couldn't catch him," he explained, his thin lips curling into a smug smirk. 

The attorney nodded, tossing her long, brown hair over her shoulder, "You have also provided us with a piece of hard evidence, yes?"

"I have," he began, gesturing to the large television that sat in the corner of the room, "I was wearing a GoPro on my helmet when I was riding my bike. I got the whole thing on video."

"And that is where I'd like to show piece of evidence #1, if you'll turn your attention to this screen," the attorney continued, moving to allow the jury to see the television. 

The video played. It was just shaky-cam footage of Sooman riding his bike, nothing special. He rode up on the tattoo shop, getting off of his bike and approaching the front door. Just then, a man in a long coat and a hat left the shop, running away. 

"Ok, pause," the attorney said, stopping the video, "When you rewind slightly, you can see the perp's face for a few seconds when he's exiting the shop."

There, on the screen, was Seungcheol's face. Plain as day. Underneath the shadow of his baseball cap, those telltale dimples and eye-smiles were totally visible. That was it. Hard evidence that Seungcheol was indeed the one who beat up Seungcheol. 

Joshua's heart plummeted into his stomach, sweat threatening to form on his forehead. 'No. There's no way. It can't be.'  
Seungcheol sat stiff and motionless in his spot, not even blinking, but Josh could tell he was feigning tears.   
This was wrong. Everything about this was wrong. Joshua brain was operating at a million miles an hour because Seungcheol's whole world just came crashing down right in front of them. 

Everything after that was a blur that went way too fast. The lawyers said some stuff, and the judge said some stuff and slammed her gavel, and now Seungcheol is being handcuffed and manhandled by two cops. Even through the chaos, Seungcheol kept his eyes on Joshua; glassy, and dripping with tears as he was dragged out of the courtroom. He was in pain, and he was betrayed, _'You promised me that nothing would happen.'_ He wanted to say. 

Joshua tried to run after him, but was pulled way by a security guard, "Seungcheol I'm so sorry!" He managed to yell, praying he heard him. 

Then he was gone; taken to the local jail, where he was sentenced to spend the next 2 years and 6 months. Seungcheol, in jail, for two and a half years. It wasn't right. 

Like a zombie, Joshua shuffled out of the courthouse and walked to Seungcheol's car. He was tired, and he didn't know what exactly he was feeling. He just wanted to go straight home and forget the world. 

-

There was no "Chan! I'm Home!" When Josh entered his apartment. No "I hope none of our dumbass friends came over without my permission again!".  
Joshua just shut the front door behind him, kicked his shoes off, and walked through the flat without saying anything. He didn't even acknowledge that Chan (who was supposed to be in school at the moment) was with Soonyoung and Jihoon in the living room. 

"H-hey Josh, how'd the trial go?" Soonyoung asked, averting his attention from the tv just long enough to get the words out. 

Making no effort to even look at them, Joshua dropped his bag and went straight to his bedroom, where he slammed the door a lot louder than he really intended. 

He flopped onto his bed, shoving his face into a pillow.   
It was weird now. His bed felt empty with only him in it now. The sheets and the pillows smelled vaguely of cheap deodorant and lavender shampoo. It was comforting, and inviting, and it was Seungcheol. The bed fucking smelled like Seungcheol. Of course it did, he'd only been sleeping there for the last 4 nights.

Joshua buried his face harder into the pillow, wrapping himself in blankets and trying to forget about the hands that would were holding him in a warm embrace just last night.   
He swallowed thickly, his throat aching and his heart pounding. His face was hot and he had a million thoughts racing through his head. It was only like 4 hours ago that he and his best friend were waking up together and sharing light conversation over a cup of coffee. They were smiling, and laughing, and anxiously fidgeting because they were worried about the trial. Joshua had promised that everything would be fine. That Seungcheol would be fine. Maybe Joshua was helping the wrong person. 

_'That bastard did it.'_

Somehow, some way, in the two minutes that they weren't together that night, Seungcheol must've attacked Seokmin. What could've possibly motivated that? Seungcheol seemed so nice, and so genuine, and so-

***knock knock knock***

"Josh?" An uncertain voice asked from the other side of the door, "Are you ok?"

Recognizing the voice as Soonyoung's, Joshua lifted his head slightly from his pillow, "Go awaaay!" He whined, but it came out as more of a strained whisper. 

"Joshua, please," this time it was Chan's voice, weak and desperate.   
As much of a brat that kid was, Josh just couldn't say no to him. 

"Fine," he said, sitting up in bed. He stayed wrapped in the blanket like a burrito though. 

The door creaked open, and Soonyoung, Jihoon, and Chan piled inside the dim, small room. 

"No offense but it's such a mess in here," Jihoon groaned as he stepped over the piles of clothes that littered the floor to get to Josh's bed.

Swallowing thickly, Joshua rolled his eyes at him, "What do you guys want anyway?" 

Soonyoung sat on the bed next to him, the mattress shifting under his weight. He looked at Josh, eyebrows knitted together in concern, "Please, talk to us. What's wrong?"

And so Joshua caved and told them what happened. Attempting to keep it concise, he omitted certain details of the day. He explained the trial, the questions the lawyers asked, and that stupid fucking video. He told them how they found Seungcheol guilty and dragged him away to jail. He eventually found the topic veering more into Joshua's feelings of betrayal and disappointment because his best friend turned out to be a criminal. 

They just listened. Chan and Jihoon found comfort on the floor, watching as Joshua tearfully recounted the events of the last few days. 

Soonyoung and Jihoon asked questions, clarifying the blurry details. They wanted to put the pieces together. They wanted to understand. 

After a while, it seemed Joshua had circled back around onto his initial idea that Seungcheol was still innocent, "Y'know what? What if he was framed? I bet someone did this to him! He's got to be innocent!" He threw his blanket off, flying out of his room and into the living room, the other three following him. 

"Josh.." Soonyoung began, as if it was a warning, "Josh, wait."

"I want to go down to the county jail. I want to see him," he mumbled, not listening to his friend's protest. He grabbed Seungcheol's car keys off the kitchen counter, and his coat off a nearby chair. 

"JOSHUA, STOP," Soonyoung boomed, scaring not only Josh, but also Chan and Jihoon. 

Freezing in his spot, Joshua turned around and looked at him, "What, hun?" He huffed, crossing his arms.

Letting out a deep sigh, Soonyoung approached him, "I know you want to believe that he's innocent, but the evidence is there. You're obviously upset, but I think it's for the wrong reasons."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's obvious dude," Chan mumbled, scratching at his cast, "You're whipped."

"What do you mean?" Josh scoffed, dropping the keys and jacket. 

Jihoon ran his fingers through his hair, an unreadable expression coming over his face, "Do we need to spell this out for you?" He looked at Soonyoung, then at Josh again, "Dude...you have feelings for Seungcheol."

"Yeah, I wasn't gonna say anything, but I can tell you've been into him since the day you met," Chan added.

Shaking his head, Josh pointed a shaky finger at his brother, "No. No no no, that's not true..he's just..he's my best friend, that's all," his voice was weak and shaky, eyes downcast, "There's nothing going on..I mean, yeah we kissed a couple of times, but it was platonic. Just..platonic kissing..," he was spiraling now, desperately clinging onto his line of defense. 

Soonyoung stepped closer to him, "Ok. Kiss me," he ordered, puckering his lips and closing his eyes.

"What?! No way!" Josh shrieked, stepping back and shoving his friend away. 

Wheezing, Soonyoung nodded, "See? I'm your best friend too, and you wouldn't kiss me. I bet you wouldn't kiss Wonwoo either, or Hansol," he chuckled to himself, as if there was an inside joke only he knew about, "It's obvious that you like him and he likes you."

"Not to mention the fact that he's been living with you since Saturday, and sleeping in your bed, and wearing your clothes," Jihoon took a seat in the living room, motioning for them to sit with them, "When we were watching that movie last weekend, you two were practically spooning."

"Well that might be an exaggeration," Joshua tried to interject, but was talked over by Soonyoung again. 

"Don't act like nothing's there. We've seen the way you look at him, and the way you talk about him, and the fact that you've known him for a week and would already die for him."

Joshua stayed quiet for a long time, plopping down on the couch and sighing deeply, "Fine. Fine! I like Seungcheol ok! I really really really like him! I like him so fucking much! Are you happy?!" He snapped, staring angrily at his friends and also Chan, "But I meant it when I said those kisses were purely between friends. We're not...together."

"Yet."

"Shut up Chan!" Josh scolded, rubbing his temples in frustration, "Anyway, I don't want to believe that he could've done something like this..I thought he was.."

"I know, Josh," Jihoon put his arm around him, "But you're just going to have to accept it. Maybe he wasn't as good of a person as you thought he was."

A long silence followed, all of them hanging their heads solemnly. It was almost a full minute before Joshua spoke again, "Wait...it's noon on a Wednesday. Chan, why aren't you in school right now?"


	13. XIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the trial is over, Joshua is forced to readjust to his normal life. Everything gets turned upside down again when Chan goes AWOL.

**April 9, 3:30am**

Four days had passed since the trial. Joshua was starting to get used to his bed being cold and empty again, and he was starting to accept the fact that his new best friend..was no longer his best friend. It was hard, but he had no choice. Things were going back to normal, that is, until this night. 

Minghao was spending the night because his apartment had plumbing issues. Joshua didn't mind at all; obviously, Josh and Chan had no gripes with letting friend's stay over on a whim, even excluding Seungcheol. Mingyu used to crash at their place all the time before he moved in with Wonwoo. Junhui was couch surfing for a while back in '18 and stayed with them for nearly a month.   
Minghao was a pleasant house guest, yes, but he's also quite...eccentric. He lets his giant pet lizard wander around the apartment, his red hair dye made the shower look like a murder scene, and he listened to reggae music. 

Joshua woke up in the middle of the night with his mouth feeling like the Sahara desert.   
He carefully peeled the covers off, as not to disturb Minghao, who was asleep right next to him. He rolled out of his bed, half asleep, falling hard onto his bedroom floor, "Ow.."

He stumbled into the kitchen, nearly tripping on his much-too-long Naruto pajama pants. He got himself a bottle of water from the fridge, gulping down like half of it all at once.   
He looked around the dark apartment, taking in the calmness.   
_'No crazy parties or friends, no loud music or video games..it's nice and quiet,'_ he thought, humming in satisfaction. 

_'It's too quiet.'_

Joshua's sleepy bliss was interrupted with a pang of concern. Chan almost always stayed up late watching tv or playing video games, especially on weekends, but tonight he was already asleep?

He jumped to the nearest assumption, "Maybe he's in his room," he whispered to himself, going to Chan's room. The door was open, so he just went it. 

_'Oh no'_

Chan's bed was empty. He sprinted back over to the front door, and Chan's shoes were gone too. 

Josh immediately went into panic mode, tiptoeing back to his own room to grab his phone without waking his guest.   
He tried to stay rational, 'maybe he just went to Seungkwan or Hansol's house and forgot to tell me.'

He went to 'recent' and clicked Chan's name, listening to the rings as he went back into the living room. 

No answer. 

He called again. 

No answer. 

Ok now he was starting to panic. 

Contacts  
G  
Gramma  
Gina (Wonwoo's Mum)  
H  
Hansol

He pressed 'call' on Hansol's name, putting the phone to his ear.   
Joshua paced anxiously around his room as he waited for him to pick up, "Cmon, answer already-" he was cut off when Hansol finally picked up. 

_"Dude, it's like 3am, why are you calling me?!”_

"Is Chan at your house?"

_"Hold on lemme check..."_

Joshua rolled his eyes at Hansol's theatrics, "Wouldn't you know if you had another person in your apartment?"

_"He's not here, sorry Josh. Is he like missing or something?"_

Joshua anxiously picked at his lip, "Yeah. He could just be at Seungkwan's though. I'm gonna call his parents next. Gnight," he ended the call abruptly, immediately searching through his contacts again until he found Seungkwan's mom's phone number. Once he found it, he called and waited for them to pick up. 

_"H-hello?"_

"Hi Ms. Boo, this is Joshua Hong, Chan's brother."

_"Rabbi, it's the middle of the night, why are you-"_

"Is Chan with Seungkwan?" He cut her off, almost yelling it at her. 

_"What-No, no no. Is Chan missing?"_

"Maybe," he mumbled, walking to the living room, "Sorry about waking you up. Goodnight, Ms. Boo," he hung up, sighing as he rubbed his forehead.   
He didn't know what to do. He couldn't call the police, and without a car it would take forever to look around town for him. He tried to think of other places that Chan would be.   
_'School? No..Maybe he went to Jihoon and Soonyoung's place, or Junhui's place?'_ He thought, pacing back and forth through across the living room. The minutes felt like hours, and Joshua's blood pressure was probably through the roof. He felt like he could have a heart attack. 

*ring ring ring*

He nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone rang again, it was a call from an unknown lumber. He quickly answered, "Hello?"

_"Hello, is this Rabbi Hong?"_

"Yes?"

_"This is the New Transylvania police station. We have your brother, Chan, in custody. We need you to come pick him up."_

"You have him? Is he ok? He's safe?" 

_"Yes sir, he's perfectly safe here. We just need you to come pick him up and sign some papers, that's all."_

"Alright, thank you. I'll be right there," he said before hanging up.   
He sighed in relief, most of his initial panic starting to melt away. Despite vaguely knowing that he should be mad at Chan for sneaking out, Josh was just thrilled that the kid was safe and not, like, kidnapped or something.   
"MINGHAO!" he yelled, running back into his room and shaking the Chinese boy awake, "Hao, wake up!"

Groggily rolling over and shoving Josh away, "Oh, You're not my alarm clock," he mumbled, slightly confused.

"Minghao, Chan ran away."

Sitting up, his eyes widened, "What?!" He jumped out of bed, fleeing to the other side of the room to grab his coat and some socks, "When? Why?!"

Josh frantically tried to diffuse his friend's panic, "It's ok. The cops found him and took him down to the station. We just need to bail him out. He's safe...relatively speaking," he explained, putting a warning hand on Minghao's shoulder.

Nodding slowly, Minghao grabbed his keys off the floor, "I understand. Let's go get him then."

-

Joshua ran into the police station, face damp with sweat and he was still in his pajamas, "Where is he? Where's Chan? What happened?!"

Minghao came in right after him, also in his pajamas. He was holding his teddy bear that he brought with him for some reason, "You're supposed to wait until the car stops!" He said in between breathless pants. 

An officer stood up, approaching Joshua, "You must be Mr. Hong. Your brother is in a holding cell at the moment, we just need you to sign some forms and we'll let him go," he explained, adjusting his round glasses and handing him a few papers, "It's his first offense, and he's a minor, so we're letting him go with a warning."

"Holding cell? Wait, what the hell happened?..What did he do?" He crossed his arms, waiting with furrowed brows for the answer. 

"He got into a scuffle with some guy. From what the witness said, it looked like an argument that got heated and ended with Chan punching him in the face," the officer sighed, shrugging as he looked at Joshua, then Minghao, then Joshua again. He walked away, seemingly to go retrieve the boy, leaving the two of them to stand there in silence. 

Joshua wasn't terrified for his lost brother anymore, he was furious at him. Teeth gritted and face turning red, he turned to face Minghao, "That little bitch is in so much trouble," he seethed, lowering his voice and stepping closer to his friend, "Sneaking out, wandering around town alone, and attacking a stranger...he's in so much trouble."

Minghao held his teddy bear a little bit tighter, "But he spent all night in the jail..maybe he's been punished enough. I mean you saw what-" he paused, lowering his voice to a shy whisper, "-Seungcheol was like after he was in jail," almost as if his name was a swear word. 

"I know, but Chan is different. This is different. I'm just so..ugh," he rubbed his forehead, sighing, "I am gonna make that little brat regret ever-"

"Hey Josh."

A tiny, weak voice came from behind him, making him spin around quickly. 

Chan stood there, a disheveled mess; his hair was sticking up in every direction, he had dark circles under his eyes, and his shirt was ripped. He was tiny and pitiful and Joshua's anger totally went away almost instantly. 

Sighing, he tilted his head to the side, "Hey hun," he whispered, motioning for Chan to approach him. He wrapped his arms tightly around the boy, pulling him as close as he could, "I never thought I'd be relieved to find out you were arrested," he stroked Chan's hair, swallowing thickly, "I was so worried. I thought you'd been kidnapped or worse..I-fuck-I..Chan..oh my god I'm so glad you're ok!"

"Can't. breathe," Chan said in a strained whisper, stilling as he waited for Josh to let go of him. Once he was out of his brother's grip, he took a deep breath. 

Joshua grimaced a bit, bracing Chan by the shoulders, "I want you to know that I'm obviously very mad at you...but honestly I don't feel like giving you a lecture at 4am. Let's just..go," he walked briskly out of the building, waiting for the other two to follow, "God I could go for a coffee right about now.."

The car ride home was dreadfully silent, sound for Chan's occasional complaints about Minghao's dumpster of a car, "Why does anyone need a 3 liter bottle of industrial strength drain cleaner? Or a taser shaped like a banana?" Were only a couple of the questions that came up.   
They were almost halfway back when Minghao finally said something, "So..does anyone want to stop at Dunkin'™️? Josh, you said you wanted coffee, and maybe we can get donuts?"

"Sure..Chan, want donuts?" Josh mumbled weakly, holding his head in his hand and staring blankly out the car window.

"Really? I just got arrested and you want to get me donuts?" Chan asked, laughing slightly.

Joshua glanced back at him, smirking a little bit, "Eh, it's whatever," normally, Joshua wouldn't be so chill, but he was tired. Not just because it was 4 in the morning, no. He was tired because everything in his life seemed to be falling apart. His Synagogue had like 5 members, his best friend turned out to be a violent criminal, and his brother was heading down that same path. He was losing control, and it was making him crazy. 

The tires of the car screeched when Minghao turned a sharp corner, pulling into the Dunkin' parking lot, "I've been meaning to ask you, Mr. Rabbi, what happened to your parents anyway? How come you're living together by yourselves?" He asked suddenly, pulling into the first available parking space. 

They all hopped out of the car rather quickly, "Mom split right after Chan was born, and Dad eventually remarried," Josh began, shutting his car door and waiting for Minghao to lock the car, "He kicked me out right after I came home from rabbinical school, and Chan chose to leave with me. Haven't spoken to my dad since."

"Why did he kick you out?"

Josh stopped walking, his hand flying up to scratch at the back of his head. He turned around and looked back at Minghao, "He-uh-well.." he hesitated, swallowing thickly,"Because I'm gay," he said finally, biting his lip. It felt weird. The last time he'd actually said that, was the day his father disowned him. He tried to push past his shaking hands and churning stomach, "He kicked me out because I'm gay."

Minghao stiffened, sticking his hands in his pockets, "Oh, yeah.." he trailed off, nodding slowly, "I understand that. My grandparents refused to speak to me after I took a boy to prom," he said with a bittersweet chuckle, walking towards the restaurant. 

Joshua let out a little sigh of relief. Minghao was the only friend he wasn't really out to yet, not that he was worried, but it was still nice to know he understood. 

They all went inside the Dunkin', which was completely empty except for like two employees, and approached the counter. 

"Hi, what can I get for you tonight?" The cashier asked in an overly-fake chipper voice, she sounded much too happy considering the time of night-day?-whatever. 

"One-Uh-one black coffee, with 4 shots of espresso," Josh said, looking at Chan expectantly. 

Chan looked at all the donuts they had behind the counter, "One jelly donut, and one vanilla latte please."

"Hao, I'll cover yours. Go ahead," Josh mumbled, pulling out his wallet. 

Minghao complied, "One glazed donut and a black coffee please."

After paying, and waiting a few minutes for their stuff to all be ready, they took the bags with their orders in them and went to a small table in the far corner of the Dunkin'. 

"Ok," Joshua began, sipping his coffee and sitting straight up in his seat, "What the fuck, Chan?! You punched a stranger?" He asked, under his breath. The secrecy was useless when they were the only customers there. 

Chan sighed, glancing down before answering, "It wasn't a stranger."

"What?" Minghao managed to say with a mouthful of donut. 

"It was Lee Sooman."

Josh let out a small gasp, "You mean..that Lee Sooman. I-Chan..Ok, so you ran into him on the street and punched him?" He asked, voice raising at the end. 

Chuckling, Chan put his hands up defensively, "No no! I didn't run into him, I..well...I found him...ok, I stalked him. Nothing illegal, but you can find just about anything on the internet."

Josh and Minghao could only listen with baffled concern as Chan explained what he did. 

"I went up to him and started telling him about how he broke Seokmin's window. We started arguing, and then it got physical. He tried to hit me, I lunged at him..we wrestled for a hot second before a cop came and broke it up. It's not all bad news though, because I was able to get this from the guy," he paused, trying to fenangle something out of his coat pocket, which was difficult with his arm cast. He finally pulled a small object out and placed it on the table, "Boom. You're welcome," he said confidently.

Joshua raises his eyebrows, looking at him askance, "A thumb-drive?"

"Lee Sooman's thumb drive," Chan smiled at them as he sipped his latte, leaving them in suspense for a few seconds before flipping the thumb drive over to show the label on the other side, "The GoPro footage from that night."


	14. XIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua learns something new about Seokmin’s case, and decides to visit Seungcheol in prison. A new development arises in Chan’s life and he confides in Joshua.

_April 9, 4:30am - Dunkin'_

"Original? What do you mean original?" Minghao asked, leaning forward in his seat. 

Chan put the thumb drive back into his pocket, "I had a theory," he began, the corner of his mouth twitching into a ghost of a smirk, "The video they played during the trial wasn't the real video. It was a deepfake, and Seungcheol's being framed."

"What's a..deepfake?" Joshua tapped the lid of his coffee cup, anxiously glancing around the restaurant to make sure no employees were eavesdropping. 

Chan sighed, "I think they put Seungcheol's face onto someone else's body. If I'm right, we can use this. We can get him out," he beamed, an air of triumph in his voice. 

Josh leaned forward, lowering his voice further, "Chan, you stole it. It's illegal, yah? We can't use this evidence-"

"-Illigal yes. But this is totally gonna hold up! It would only be inadmissible if you or Seungcheol did it. I'm not legally involved in the case, so it's fine," Chan said, sipping his latte, "Besides, I can submit it anonymously."

He was quiet for a long moment. Josh had finally accepted the fact that Seungcheol was out of his life, but now there was a shimmering speck of hope that maybe he was innocent after all. Joshua was excited, and terrified, but he tried his best to hide it.   
Looking at Minghao, then at Chan, then up at the ceiling, then back Chan, he finally replied, "Alright fine. But please, next time you want to beat up a stranger and steal their stuff, tell me first. I can't have you sneaking out again."

_Sunday April 10, 9:00am - City Jail_

After watching that footage and finding out that Seungcheol was, indeed, innocent, Joshua could only think of one thing: seeing him.   
That's why he got up at the ass-crack of Dawn and drove 45 minutes outside of New Transylvania to visit him in jail. He was restless, anxious, knuckles white against the steering wheel as he went petal-to-the-floor on the interstate. Skidding on two wheels when he turned into the parking lot, sweating bullets when he was ushered through security, and nursing a stomach full of butterflies when he walked into the visitation center. 

It wasn't like in the movies; a desk with phones on either side, and a glass barrier to keep them from touching. There was none of that. It was just a large, empty room with tables and chairs all around, and a security guard by the door to keep watch. Inmates could visit family and friends, communicate freely, even exchange gifts. 

Joshua stood in the door way, frozen. He was finally going to get to see him, finally hear his voice, and hold his hand. Excitement coursed through him, goosebumps prickled at his arms underneath his sweater. 

On the opposite side of the room, a heavy, steel door opened, and from it emerged Seungcheol. His eyes landed on Joshua, and he froze too. His eyebrows raised, his mouth creaking open in surprise. 

It stunned Joshua, to seem him this way. He was in a dusty, old prison jumpsuit. His eyes were darkened all around and his face was nearly colorless. It made Josh wonder if he'd even been eating or sleeping while he was here. 

Joshua gulped hard, letting out a shaky breath as he met Seungcheol's eyes, "I believe you," he said firmly, but his voice cracked, and his eyes were starting to burn, "I believe you, Seungcheol," he repeated, and it almost hurt to say his name like that. 

He stumbled forward a few steps, and so did Seungcheol, his cracked lips curling into a gentle smile, "I knew you would," he whispered, throwing his arms out to welcome Joshua into a hug-

"PHYSICAL CONTACT REMAINS AT A MINIMUM," the security guard boomed, making both of them jump back in surprise. 

"I-Josh-I," Seungcheol stuttered first a second, sitting down at the nearest table, "You came."

Joshua glanced down at the table, a small square one, that had benches attached to all sides. He sat down right next to Seungcheol instead of across from him, their shoulders and thighs pressed firmly together. The guard didn't say anything about it.

"I'm sorry," he managed to say, resting his elbow on the table, "I promised you that nothing would happen-"

"-don't.. it's ok. You've more than made up for it," Seungcheol sighed, scooting closer to Joshua but acting like it was an accident. He was referring to the evidence Chan turned in, opening the door for a 2nd trial. With that GoPro footage, Seungcheol might be able to be acquitted, "This is...hard."

Joshua could feel Seungcheol's body heat, it was comforting, and he missed it, "Of course, but it's only for a few more days. Your retrial is Tuesday, you just have to make it until then. Can you make it till then?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Seungcheol insisted, smiling kindly at him. 

Nodding slowly, Joshua mouthed an 'ok'. At one point or another, his hand found it's way to Seungcheol's and their pinkies were linked together. Just pinkies, but it was enough, "I missed you so much," he breathed, looking up at him, "The apartment has been quiet, and my bed feels empty," he chuckled, trailing off, "Minghao spent the night a couple times, but it's not the same. He kicks in his sleep."

Seungcheol scoffed, nudging him playfully, "What's Minghao doing in your bed?" 

"Are you jealous?"

"Wha-uh-no," he blushed hard, looking straight down and shaking his head out of embarrassment, "But like..why was he staying over?"

Humming in reply, Joshua put his hand on top of Seungcheol's, "There was a plumbing issue in his apartment," he smiled, lacing their fingers together, "But I'd much rather you be sleeping in my bed than Minghao."

Giggling, Seungcheol rubbed his forehead, "Yeah, I figured..I mean-uh-well anyway-what else is going on? What have I missed?" He asked meekly, and his desperate attempt to change the subject didn't go unnoticed. 

"Chan got arrested for punching Lee Sooman," Joshua ran his thumb along the top of Seungcheol's hand, gently tracing circles onto the rough, scraped up skin. 

Seungcheol's eyebrows practically disappeared into his hairline, "You couldn't have led with that?! How? What happened?" His weakened voice going up in pitch as he looked back at Josh. 

"He stalked him, fought him, and stole a thumb drive from him. He was trying to prove your innocence."

Gulping, Seungcheol nodded, "Tell him I said thank you. And thank you, for everything," he whispered with a hint of a smile, resting his head on Joshua's shoulder. The guard didn't say anything about it.   
Seungcheol lifted his head just enough to press a gentle kiss onto Joshua's neck, smirking when he felt him chuckle under his lips, "You're amazing," he said heavily, putting his head back down. 

"So are you," Joshua whispered, letting go of Seungcheol's hand and putting his arm around him. He looked down at him, his heart skipping a beat. Seungcheol, despite everything, was still beautiful...but now wasn't the time for that. 

They were just quiet for a while, feeling the warmth between them, hearing each other slowly breathe. 

"This is wrong. All of this is wrong," Joshua finally said, his voice a bit raspy. He and Seungcheol separated, but still stayed close, leaning on the table and looking at each other, "You were framed for a crime you didn't do, Chan is a stalker, thief, and assailant now apparently, and Seokmin was beaten half-dead," he felt a lump in his throat, but he forcibly pushed it down, "How the hell did we get here?" He asked, nothing but bitterness and sadness in his voice.

"I don't know.." Seungcheol trailed off, looking back at him with pity-filled eyes, "I guess somewhere along the line, we did something wrong."

"Visiting time is over. It's time to go," the guard grumbled suddenly, once again startling the two out of their little staring trance. 

Standing up, Joshua and Seungcheol each let out disappointed sighs, "Well..I've got to go back to my cell," Seungcheol said. 

"Cheol," Josh suddenly said, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him as close as he could. He didn't care about the rules, he had to do it, "It's only a few more days, and then this will all be over," he whispered into Seungcheol's ear, more for himself than for him. 

"I know. I can make it. Don't worry about me," he said back, burying his face in Joshua's shoulder. The guard didn't say anything about it.   
They stayed like that for a while, relaxing into the touch, the warmth. It almost felt like things were ok. 

"Cmon Choi. Get your ass moving, you got to get back to your block," another guard entered the visitation room to retrieve Seungcheol. 

The two parted slowly, uttering sad goodbyes to each other as they were separated. Joshua watched as Seungcheol was taken away, seemingly back to his cell.   
The security guard who'd been supervising ushered him out of the room. 

"How come you didn't say anything about the physical contact?" Joshua asked, purely out of curiosity. 

"Well, who am I to stand in the way of love?"

"Love?!" Josh started to gay panic a little bit, "No no, Seungcheol and I aren't a couple."

The guard practically rolled his eyes, "Yeah..alright," he scoffed walking away, leaving Joshua to stand in the lobby by himself.

"Really. We-we're not..a couple.." Joshua trailed off, shrugging as he left the building. 

-

The next 4 days went by in a blur for Joshua. He was catching up on all of his work at the temple, officiating a wedding, performing a funeral, and fretting about the court hearing. He was basically living off of caffeine and what little food he ate; it'd been that way since the new temple opened up, but it got worse after all this legal drama started. His friends were starting to notice how sallow and frail he looked. He was running on empty, just going through the motions. Everyone knew why, but no one dared say. 

Wednesday, the night before the trial, Joshua was chilling in his room, finally having gotten some time to himself.   
He was just scrolling though Instagram, looking at memes and stuff. 

"Josh?"

Chan slowly pushed the door open, standing rigidly in the hallway until his brother nodded for him to come in. 

"Hey hun, is something wrong?" He asked kindly, putting his phone away to give full attention to Chan. He could tell almost instantly that something was upsetting the boy. He patted the space on the bed next to him, "Come sit."

Chan obeyed, quietly walking in and sitting on the bed. He kept his non-casted hand under his leg to stop it from shaking, "Um..I know it's probably not a great time right now..but-uh-I want to tell you something.." normally, Chan would be full of sarcasm and jokes, probably finding a way to make fun of Josh, but right now he wasn't doing any of that. He looked truly very anxious and..scared?

Putting a gentle hand on Chan's knee, Joshua put on his most soothing voice, "No no, it's not a bad time, I promise," he insisted, giving him a genuine smile. He was starting to get worried, but didn't want to show it, "What's going on?"

Swallowing and nodding slowly, Chan looked back up at Joshua, "Well-uh-I know this-um-shouldn't be a big deal-ah um..since you're-well uh nevermind-it's just-" he stopped, taking a deep breath, "The thing is..I'm gay..I think," he forced out, his cheeks flushing pink, "Well-uh-so it's just that-uh..I think I have-uh-a boyfriend now..."

Joshua was frozen for a moment, processing, "That's..fantastic! Ugh Channie, this is wonderful! Thank you for telling me!" He squealed, pulling Chan into a hug.

"Thank god," he sighed, pulling himself away from his brother's hug attacks, "I know I had no reason to be nervous, but still."

"I understand completely! I felt the same way when I came out to Minghao the other day, yah?" 

"Yeah..I get it. Thank you for being so..I mean.." he paused again, "I'm glad you're my big brother," he said finally. 

"And I'm glad you're my little brother, even if you can be a brat sometimes," Joshua chuckled, "So, tell me all about this boyfriend of yours!" He quickly shed the sappy energy and put on a more fun one. 

Chan blushed again, rubbing his forehead, "Ah well, it's Seungkwan-"

"-called it."

"Shut up!" Chan whined, playfully punching his brother on the arm, "Anyway, it all started a while back..."

The two stayed talking like that for a while, just Joshua asking Chan questions and Chan answering. Occasionally vice versa. It was nice, maybe they should talk more often.


	15. XV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungcheol has his 2nd court hearing, and then things get crazy.

_April 14, 9:00am - courthouse_

Joshua didn't like the courtroom. He didn't like the dim lighting or the uncomfortable seats. He didn't like the mean looking people in the jury. 

Today, he didn't like seeing Lee Sooman's ugly face on the other side of the gallery. He didn't like seeing protesters outside, holding signs that said ' _Send the vampire to prison_ '. Most of all, Joshua didn't like the hopeless look on Seungcheol's face, as he sat there in his prison uniform, his fate yet to be decided. Security guards stood on either side of him, holding his arms and making sure he didn't try to run away.

It was wrong. All of this was just wrong. 

The judge entered the courtroom and sat behind her desk, slamming her gavel down, "Trial of Lee v. Choi will reopen," she began, waiting for everyone to settle down for the trial, "The defending council has come forward with a new piece of evidence provided by someone who will remain anonymous. Mr. Rodriguez, you have the floor."

Mr. Rodriguez stood up, approaching a large tv in the corner of the room, "Jury, if you'll turn your attention here, this is the original videotape from the attack," he began, pressing play on the video, and allowing the entire 2 minute clip to play. At the end, he rewinded and paused when the perp's face was on the screen, "As you can see here, the attacker is not Mr. Choi, but someone else entirely," he turned toward the judge, "Your Honor, I'd like to call Aron Kwak to the stand."

 _'This is a new development.'_ Josh thought to himself as the man who was in the video took the stand. 

"Mr. Kwak, that is you in the video, yes?" 

"Yes sir," Aron replied. He didn't resemble Seungcheol at all in the face, what with his patchy stubble and squared jaw, but he definitely had the same build as him, obviously.

Mr. Rodriguez nodded, "Which means you're the person who attacked Mr. Lee?"

"Yes Sir. Lee Sooman paid me to do it," he said, his voice going up in pitch, "He said it was to settle a score with one of his old Navy buddies. He-he-Sooman never said that-Uh-that he'd do all of this-"

"OBJECTION!" A voice yelled, drawing everyone's attention to Sooman, who was standing up in the gallery. 

"Mr. Lee, YOU are not allowed to do that. Please sit down!" The judge scolded, "Please continue, Mr. Kwak."

Aron nodded, "I never would have agreed to this I'd I knew..I didn't even know it was filmed. I'm sorry, Mr. Lee," he whimpered, gesturing to Seokmin, who was sitting Solemnly in the prosecutors' booth.

"So you're telling me that Mr. Lee Sooman paid you to beat up someone, then filmed it, and photoshopped someone else's face onto YOUR body, to frame them!?" Mr. Rodriguez asked, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"Yes sir," he whispered, his eyes bloodshot and glassy as he stared at Mr. Rodriguez. 

"And you're telling me that my client is completely innocent in this crime, and the only people to blame are you and Mr. Lee?!" He continued, not purposely yelling, but just being really emphatic, "You're telling me with 100% certainty that Choi Seungcheol is innocent?"

Aron sighed, "Lee Sooman was the mastermind behind everything," he said, wiping a few tears off his face, "He's not a sane man."

"TRAITOR! YOU'RE A TRAITOR!!" Sooman yelled, jumping back up from his seat, "AFTER EVERYTHING I DID FOR YOU!"

Everything stopped, and 2 dozen pairs of eyes went as wide as saucers. 

The judge slammed her gavel a few times, "Contempt of court, get this man out of my courtroom!"

A couple of guards approached him to take him away, but Sooman pulled out a pistol, aiming it down the center of the room, and it was like time stopped. 

_*pow*_ a window shattered into a million pieces, followed by a few muffled screams, and people standing up to flee the room. 

_*pow*_ Jeonghan let out a scream, clutching his arm. 

_*pow*_ Joshua hit the floor. 

_*pow*_ Sooman's brains were splattered onto the courtroom wall. 

It was chaos, and it all happened so fast.   
Seungcheol ran to Joshua, going into full panic mode, "Oh my god oh my god, Joshua, Josh! Stay awake for me, Josh!" He yelled, slapping him across the face to keep him from falling unconscious. 

Blood was pouring out of the bullet hole in Joshua's stomach. Seungcheol tried to put pressure on it, but he just ended up getting blood all over his hands, "Oh-oh my god, please don't die..!" 

"Cheol...why are you crying dude?" Joshua drolled, half-consciously. Shock was beginning to set in, and he was barely lucid. His eyes rolled back in his head periodically, scaring Seungcheol even more. 

"BECAUSE YOU'RE KINDA DYING! *ahem* sorry, you're gonna be fine. The medics are-Uh-on their way," he tried to comfort him, ignoring the tears that were dripping down his face, "Just stay awake, Shua," he rubbed Joshua's arm with his free hand, "It'll be fine.." he rasped, letting out a quiet sob. 

"Give me your hand," barely above a whisper from the injured party. 

Seungcheol did as asked, allowing Josh to weakly grab at his blood-stained fingers. 

He blinked slowly, bringing Seungcheol's hand to his mouth and pressing it to his colorless lips. He looked up at him with half-closed eyes, "Hey, if I don't make it...if I don't make it, take good care of Chan....and tell Minghao to clean out his stupid car," he started laughing weakly, red smears covering his blueing complexion. 

Seungcheol started laughing too, so then was laughing and crying at the same time, "I promise I will," be croaked out, wiping a few of his tears on his sleeve, "You're gonna be ok, Shua. Just stay awake. Stay awake for me, and the doctors are gonna f-fix you right up," now everything was covered in blood. He tried his hardest to hide his panic from the barely-conscious Joshua. 

With the last little bit of energy Joshua had left, he squeezed Seungcheol's hand, "I wish..I wish I could've kissed you more.."

Smiling softly, Seungcheol applied more pressure to the wound, watching Joshua's white shirt become almost completely crimson, "When this is all over, you can give me as many kisses as you want," he whimpered hopelessly. 

Joshua's eyes slowly closed, and his head lulled to the side, his grip on Seungcheol's hand loosened fully, "I'll give.. you so many kisses.." it was barely above a whisper; one last laborious breath escaped his lips. 

"Josh..? Joshua! Joshua wake up!"

"Cmon, please wake up for me, shua! Please!"

"P-Please..please wake up Josh.."

"Please wake up..."

-

_10:14am_

Chan tapped his pencil lazily on his desk. Science class was boring, and he was anxious to know if Seungcheol was going to stay in jail or not. He looked up at the white board, realizing that he'd totally forgotten to take notes on Gibbs Free Energy or whatever. He signed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Only 3 more years until he graduated and didn't have to go to school anymore. 

He looked to his side, where his boyfriend sat.   
Seungkwan was tentatively taking notes on whatever their teacher was talking about, eyes focused on his notebook. 

Tilting his head slightly, an idea popped into Chan's head. He slowly reached over and grabbed Seungkwan's hand, pulling in towards him. 

Stopping what he was doing, Seungkwan flashed him a strange look, "What are you doing?" He whispered. 

"You'll see," Chan whispered in reply, uncapping his pen with his teeth. He began to write on the back of Seungkwan's hand. 

**Property of Chan ^ - ^**

Seungkwan chuckled upon seeing it, "Cute," he said simply, turning back to look at the teacher to make sure he hadn't missed anything. 

Satisfied with himself, Chan leaned back in his seat, tucking his pen into his neon pink cast where he'd been keeping it. It was like having an extra pocket kinda. He could keep a pen in there, or a juul, except he didn't juul. He tried Seungkwan's cotton candy juul once but he didn't like it. 

Suddenly, the classroom door flew open and the principal burst in there, "Hong Chan. You need to come with me, it's an emergency," she said gravely, approaching they boys' lab table, "Seungkwan, can you collect his things nafter class?"

"Uh sure..?" Seungkwan watched, wide eyed, as the principal basically dragged Chan away by the arm, "Bye!" He called our meekly. 

They raced down the hallway, panic written all over the principal's face and confusion on Chan's, "What the hell is going on?" He asked her, running to keep up with her as they headed towards the front of the school. 

"There was a shooting at the courthouse today."

For a moment, Chan was just confused, then in hit him, "My brother was..oh my god, was he..?" He stopped walking, making her stop too. 

She nodded gravely, "He's in the hospital right now, in critical condition."


	16. XVI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the courtroom incident

**April 7, 10:45am - hospital**

"What happened?!"

"We don't know."

"Is he ok?!"

"We don't know."

"I-is he gonna die?"

"Chan, we don't know!" Jihoon snapped, sitting up from his chair suddenly, "You know just as much as we do! All we can do is wait, ok? Ugh! I'm gonna go have a cigarette!" He grumbled as he stormed toward the exit of the ER. 

"You don't even smoke!" Soonyoung called after him in bewilderment. 

Jihoon stuck up a middle finger behind him, "GUESS I'LL FUCKING START!" He didn't wait for the automatic doors to open, instead, he forcefully shoved them apart and left. 

Everyone was quiet for a moment. 

Chan looked at all of them. 

Hansol was in the corner, not talking to anyone.   
Minghao looked like he was trying not to cry, and Junhui was comforting him.   
Soonyoung obviously just looked stressed.   
Wonwoo had clung onto Mingyu like a koala.   
And apparently Jihoon was smoking in the parking lot. 

Sitting down, Chan looked at Soonyoung for more information. 

"He got shot in the stomach, I think. He's in surgery now," the older man explained, crossing his arms, "That's really all I know."

"What's Mr. Seokmin doing here?" Chan asked, pointing to the tattoo artist who was sitting next to Hansol. His cast was a different color than it was last week. Now it's pink, just like Chan's. 

Soonyoung looked back at him, then at Chan again, "Jeonghan also got shot."

"Oh my god?! Why didn't you tell me that earlier?! Is he ok?!" Chan leapt out of his seat, eyes going wide. 

"I..am doing just fine!" A cheerful voice announced suddenly.   
Everyone turned their attention to Jeonghan, who was strutting over to them. He had the kind of confidence that only someone who's been shot can have. His arm was in a sling, and his hair was disheveled, and he looked super tired, but he was still fabulous. 

"Babe, you're ok!" Seokmin gasped, running over to him.

Jeonghan smirked coolly, "Just a little flesh wound. The bulletin barely even touched me," he shrugged, giving his boyfriend a kiss. 

"Don't exaggerate, you almost died!" Seokmin and Jeonghan left to go sign out of the hospital, "Guys, I'll be back in a bit and I'll bring you some food, ok?" He called, his cheerful tone dropping has he waved goodbye.

Chan plopped back down into the nearest seat with a huff, beginning to stew. It was hitting him now, this wasn't a game anymore. Joshua got shot, and he may not make it. Maybe his lifeless body was on an operating table right now, being sliced open and stuff. Chan thought about the worst possible scenario, about how he would go back to his apartment without his brother. Who would take care of him? Would he get put in foster care? He had so many questions and he was trying to give himself all the answers and everything was toomuchtoomuchtoomuchtoomuch-

And then he saw two teardrops fall onto his thigh. Apparently he was crying. Covering his mouth, Chan squeezed his eyes shut and continued keeping his head down. A sob fought its way out of his mouth, alerting the attention of the other guys around him. 

"Channie? Hey, Chan..Chan. Ok, deep breaths, Channie," Soonyoung cooed sweetly, moving to the seat next to him.  
He could see that Chan was wheezing, and making nail marks where he held onto his arm. 

Looking up at him, Chan shook his head. "I'm-uh-I just..I'm fine."

-  
 **12:45pm-New Transylvania Prison**

*clank. clank. clank.*

Seungcheol's cellmate kicked his feet against the metal railing of his bunk bed, "Back again, huh Count?" He asked, smirking as Seungcheol was ushered back to the cell, "So you lost your case or what?"   
He was a large man; beer bellied and heavily tattooed. His name was 'Mallet' and Seungcheol didn't want to find out why. He apparently was doing time for armed robbery. He'd only been in for a month, but he had 10 years, 7 with good behavior. 

Seungcheol didn't respond, simply laying down on his bed underneath Mallet's, "Worse. Some psycho shot up the courtroom," he groaned, rubbing his forehead, "My-uh-um-Joshua got shot..I don't know if he's ok."

"Your boyfriend Joshua?"

"He's not my-" Seungcheol paused, swallowing hard and trying to stop himself from crying, "-Whatever. He might be dead cause of me. I'm fucking sad, dude."

Mallet jumped down from his bunk, looking down at him with an unreadable expression, "I'm sorry about that. If it'll make you feel better, I raided the commissary today," he shrugged, pulling various snacks out of his pillow case. 

Seungcheol smiled weakly at him, sitting up, "I think it couldn't hurt," he said, watching as Mallet sat down across from him on the bed and carefully unwrapped a king size KitKat. 

"So is Joshua the same guy that came to see you last week?" He asked, taking a bite of the chocolate. 

Nodding, Seungcheol pursed his lips, "Yeah," he paused, looking at him, "If I'd known that might be the last time..I would've..I don't know..I just," he stopped before he got too emotional, "Whatever."

"I know how you feel. I dated this guy once and he-"

"-Wait. You're gay?" He cut him off, raising his eyebrows. 

Mallet looked at him for a couple of seconds, "Do you know what the Alternative Lifestyle Unit is?"

He'd heard the guards talk about taking him to "A.L Unit" when he first got arrested, but he didn't ask what it was, "It's where all the atheists go?" Seungcheol asked quietly.

"It's a cell block for gays, you idiot," he explained, "Dudes that fuck dudes, and dudes that want to be women. They couldn't put us with the breeders or all hell would break loose."

That made both of them laugh a bit. 

"So anyway," Seungcheol quickly continued, "tell me more about this ex-boyfriend of yours."

-  
 **Hospital - 6:30pm**

"..He's in critical condition.."

Chan was numb. 

"-The bullet entered through his kidney-"

Everything seemed blurry. 

"..invasive surgery...two incisions..long term effects.."

Everything the doctors explained to Chan was going in one ear and out the other. He couldn't focus. He'd been in this hospital for so many hours that he forgot what the outside world felt like. He wanted to hear those two words "He's alive" so desperately, but he wasn't hearing it. 

"We were forced to remove 20% of his kidney-"

"Wait!" Chan heard something that snapped him out of his daze. He shot up from his seat, pushing past Soonyoung and Wonwoo, "He only had one kidney," his voice was raspy, apparently he hadn't spoken in a few hours. 

Looking at him askance, Soonyoung drew in a short breath, "What?"

"He was only born with one. So you y-you had to take part of it..what does that mean?" His throat was starting to ache. Oh God he didn't wanna cry again, but there was still a possibility that his brother would never wake up from his surgery, "Is he..is-uh-he's gonna be ok right?"

"Mr. Hong, it's alright. We are confident that Joshua will wake up soon."

There it was. Chan sighed, feeling a few tons lift off his shoulders. He'd probably be fine. Not the best news he could get, but better than nothing. 

The Doctor looked at her clipboard again, "Do you know if the patient has any history of an eating disorder?" she asked, not to any of their surprise. 

Soonyoung grimaced, thinking it over for a moment, "I've known Joshua for a long time. Sometimes, when he's really stressed, he forgets to eat. The last two or three weeks were really stressful on him."

"Ok, I understand. He's going to be on an IV for a while and we'll replenish some of his deficient vitamins. We'll ask him more questions when he wakes up, which should be within the next hour or so. Unfortunately, the visiting hours will be over by then. It's best if you leave now and come back tomorrow morning to visit him." 

The news left all of them feeling relieved. 

"He's gonna be ok. He's gonna be ok. Everything is fine," Chan repeated, trying to convince himself that everything was fine. 

They left the hospital and walked back to their respective cars they took to get here, it was at that point that Chan was hit with a whole new problem, "Hansol wait!"

"Yeah?" Hansol, who was just opening his car door, stopped and looked at him. 

Chan hesitating for a moment before answering, "I don't want to go home to an empty apartment tonight. Any chance I could crash at your place?" He asked.

Smiling, Hansol put his hand on Chan's shoulder, "Oh course, dude."

-

The next day, the guys were notified that Joshua was awake and that they could visit him.   
The atmosphere of the Hospital was unpleasantly familiar, and the anxious bustling of visitors, staff, and patients were hardly welcomed. 

Chan, Soonyoung, and Jihoon approached Joshua's hospital room door, Chan gently knocking. 

"Come in!" A voice called happily from the other side, not uncharacteristic of him. 

They piled into the small room, Chan immediately running over to him to practically smother him in hugs, "Shua! You're here and ok and everything and I've never been so glad to see you-" 

"-alright! Ok! I'm glad to see you too!" Joshua strained, using what little strength he had to shove Chan off before either of them got hurt, "Please be careful. I have a lot of bruises," he paused for a moment before continuing, "I just woke up a little bit ago, I was about to call you."

"Well we're just so glad you're gonna be ok. I assume the doctor gave you the rundown on what happened," Soonyoung said, sitting down in one of the chairs.   
Jihoon sat down in the other one. 

Chan crawled into Joshua's hospital bed to cuddle with him. It was a tight squeeze, but neither minded much, "Yeah," Joshua said, his face falling, "Apparently I'm pretty banged up. I probably won't ever be able to drink again, and it'll be awhile til I can stand up straight. I can't feel anything though, they pumped me full of painkiller."

The other guys smiled bittersweetly. 

"On the bright side, you can say that you've survived being shot."

"Yeah. I guess," Joshua ran his fingers through Chan's hair, "Have you guys talked to Seungcheol at all? I was hoping he wouldn't mind coming by the hospital.." he trailed off when he noticed that all of the other guys' expressions saddened again, "What?" He asked in a tiny voice. 

Jihoon gritted his teeth, "He's..in prison. The trial was never finished. He's in prison, solitary possibly. I'm sorry Joshua," he said, staring at the floor, "Maybe there can be a retrial sometime in the future."

He was quiet for a long time, "Oh," he said finally, sighing, "Um...would you guys mind going and getting me some coffee?" He asked in a low voice, clearing his throat. 

"I'll go," Jihoon began, standing up.

"All of you can go. It's a big building, wouldn't want anyone to get lost," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile as he nodded for them all to get up and leave, "Black coffee. Caffeinated. Thanks," he managed to say but it was more of a whisper. He blinked a lot, taking a deep breath.   
As soon as Chan shut the door behind them, Joshua let out a sigh, a few tears dripping from his eyes. 

He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed his phone. He dialed Seungcheol's number and held it up to his ear. It rang a few times. 

_"Hey, it's Seungcheol. I guess I couldn't answer my phone right now, but I'll try to call you back or something. Please leave a message after the beep. Byeeee!"_

Joshua hung up before the beep even happened. He knew there wasn't going to be an answer, he just wanted to hear Seungcheol’s voice. More tears fell down his face as he sobbed quietly.   
He called one more time. 

_"Hey, it's Seungcheol. I guess I couldn't answer my phone right now, but I'll try to call you back or something. Please leave a message after the beep. Byeeee!"_

*beep*

"Hey Cheolie... it's me. I'm ok. They fixed me right up and I'm going to be f-fine. I wish you could come here. I want to see you...You're my b-best friend and you mean-me-mean so much to me," he was sobbing again, "I'm going to visit you, ok? As soon as I get released. Seungcheol, we-uh-we can get through this. I love-"

And the machine cut him off. 

"-You,” He sighed and put his phone away, wiping away his tears and trying to blink enough to make the redness go away, "Ok..ok..everything's fine. Everything's fine," he whispered to himself. 

"Ok, we have your coffee!" Soonyoung announced as he Jihoon, and Chan came back into the room, "Piping hot and very caffeinated!"

"Which by the way, are you sure it's ok to have caffeine while you're on painkillers?" Jihoon asked, pointing at him quizzically. 

Joshua shrugged, sniffling slightly, "It's probably fine. Thanks guys," he said, smiling at them as he took the cup. 

" _Everything's fine...everything's fine.._ "


	17. XVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua comes home from the hospital and finds a pleasant surprise.  
> He also realizes that dealing with the aftermath of the incident was going to be harder than he thought

_April 14, 10:00am_

After a week-long stay in the hospital, most people would be exhausted and want nothing more than to hibernate in bed for a while; Joshua however, the eternal extrovert, wanted to see his friends again. Sure, he saw them in the hospital a little bit, but he wanted to see all of them, in his apartment, just like the good old days. 

"Chan, you didn't have any parties while I was gone, did you?" He asked, approaching his front door with Chan and Jihoon, who'd brought him home from the hospital.   
His stitches were still fresh, gauzed up and tender. He couldn't quite stand up straight or take full breaths, it hurt to laugh, and he had to use a cane to walk. He could deal with all of that though, he was just happy to be back home. He was happy to watch his own tv, eat his own food, and sleep in his own bed again.

Chan snorted, "Don't be ridiculous," he chuckled as he unlocked the front door.  
He and Jihoon went inside first, waiting for Joshua to go in.

Joshua looked at them funny as he entered the apartment, "Okaay, well anyway I was thinking that once I get settled and everything maybe we could-" he stopped, frozen in his tracks, his heart launching into his throat, "Oh." He whispered. 

Standing there, across the room, was Seungcheol. 

"Welcome home Joshua," he said, smiling. He was no longer in a prison uniform, he was in his normal black tshirt and black jeans. His hair was brushed, the dark circles under his eyes were gone, and he looked..happy. 

Almost instantly, Joshua felt a faint stinging in his eyes, coupled with an ache in his throat. He hobbled across the living room, the sudden movement sent a sharp pain through his stomach but he didn't care. He pulled Seungcheol into a tentative hug, pulling away after just a moment. 

_'Seungcheol is here. He's here. He's not in jail. He's not in solitary. Everything is ok.  
Everythingisfineeverythingisfineeverythingisfine-'_

It was at this point that Joshua realized that all of his friends were there too, mostly hiding in the kitchen. He looked back at Seungcheol with tears starting to pool in his eyes, opening his mouth to speak but no sound came out. 

Seungcheol said what Joshua wanted to say, "Would you guys mind giving us a moment, please?" He asked them, flashing a polite smile. 

They all nodded, shuffling out and piling into Joshua's bedroom, shutting the door. 

Everything was still for a second. 

"We're alone now. It's ok," Seungcheol said in a low, calm voice; as if he knew exactly what Joshua wanted to hear. 

Everything went blurry. Joshua drew a hand over his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut and letting a few tears drop down his cheeks. He tried to force himself to stop, but he couldn't help the sob that escaped his lips, or the next one after that. He covered his face, dropping his head in embarrassment as he continued to cry. Leaning on his cane, his knuckles were white against the handle. Each sob made the dull pain in his stomach twinge. 

He felt a pair of arms wrap gingerly around his torso, making him look up. He let out a shallow sigh, relaxing in the embrace.   
Seungcheol held onto him tightly, while still being careful not to hurt him. He held him by the back of the head, fingers carding through his hair, "It's ok, Josh, take your time," he whispered, gently kissing the top of his head. 

Joshua pulled him as close as he could. He sobbed into Seungcheol's shoulder, his whole body shaking, "I d-don't know..I don't know why I'm c-crying," he whimpered, nearly inaudibly, against Seungcheol's shirt, "I-I just..I missed you..and I-uh-" he sobbed again, gulping hard before trying to finish the sentence, "I thought you were-but-they told me you were in p-prison-"

"-I know. But I'm here now."

"How?"

"Don't worry about it," Seungcheol whispered, squeezing his eyes shut, "I'm sorry, Shua."

"D-don't be...I-I promised you that everything would be ok, and you ended up sp-p-pending like a 2 weeks in prison! I'm the one who should apol-uh-ap-apologize."

"But it's my fault you got shot."

Joshua pulled away, wiping his eyes, "I guess-uh-I guess we're even then," He said before he pulled Seungcheol in for another tight hug, "I'm never letting you go again." He drolled. 

"I hope you mean metaphorically, cause I kinda have to pee," Seungcheol said, prompting a bittersweet laugh from both of them. 

They both finally let go of each other. Joshua tried to squat down to pick up his cane that he'd dropped of the floor when Seungcheol had hugged him. He groaned in pain, clutching his stomach as he lowered to the ground. 

"Here," Seungcheol said, effortlessly bending down and picking it up for him. 

"Thank you," Joshua sighed, laboriously standing back up and grabbing the cane so he could put some of his weight on it, "God," he began, walking over to the couch and dropping onto it, landing with a little bounce, "I walk with a cane, I can't bend over, and I moan and groan every time I stand up. I feel like an old man."

Seungcheol sat down next to him, "Well it's going to get easier as you recover, right?"

"Of course, yeah..but I'm gonna be using this stupid hunk of aluminum for almost 2 months," he said, gesturing towards the metallic, blue cane that was next to him, "Guess I can't complain. With a bullet wound to the stomach, I'm lucky to even be alive."

Nodding, Seungcheol suddenly changed the subject, "Ready to bring the guys back in here?" 

"Yeah," Joshua smiled, "YA'LL CAN COME BACK IN HERE NOW!" He hollered towards his bedroom, wiping the last of his tears off on his sleeve. 

Seungcheol stood up suddenly, "Potty break. I'll be right back," he mumbled before sprinting off to the bathroom.

Joshua watched as everyone else piled back into the living room, grabbing some beer and find a place to sit, "So..wha-uh-what'd I miss?" He hiccuped, sitting criss-cross-apple-sauce on the couch. 

"Degrassi season 14 got uploaded to YouTube," Minghao said, sipping his beer, "Oh! Sorry, did you want one?" He asked, standing up and pointing toward the kitchen. 

An uncomfortable hush fell over the room, with everyone giving Minghao an angry glare. 

Joshua just chuckled, shaking his head, "I can't really drink anymore, remember? The doctor said no alcohol for a month, and even after that, one drink at most."

Minghao was quiet for a second, "How about a coke then?" He finally asked, walking into the kitchen. 

"Diet please!" Joshua requested, happiness coursing through him over the fact that they weren't making too big of a deal about his health. 

"Lemme tell y'all what happened during the Goldstein Bar Mitzvah yesterday," Hansol started, "For starters, whose idea was it to let a 12 year old have a Vegas themed birthday party?!"

-

After a couple hours of drinking and talking and playing video games, the gang decided to just watch a movie before dinner. 

Stupidly, they decided to watch Heathers. 

_Stupidly_ , Joshua decided to watch it with them. 

**_Stupidly_** , no one thought that maybe that was a bad idea. 

About one third into the movie was the part where the two football players got murdered; they were lured into thinking they were safe and then suddenly it was raining bullets. 

*pow* the sound echoed through the living room, the tv screen flashing white. 

Joshua suddenly felt weirdly uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat, snuggling further against Seungcheol, who he'd been cuddling up to during the movie. 

*pow* a window shattered. _Wait, what? There's no windows in the forest!_

His heart was pounding and his chest was tight.

*pow* people are screaming? _No, that didn't happen in the movie! Why are there cops running around?!_

Joshua squeezed his eyes shut, lifting his head from Seungcheol's shoulder where it'd been resting. The sounds; it felt like he was right there in the courtroom and it felt so real. He couldn't stand it.   
As quickly as he reasonably could, he got up from the couch, grabbing his cane and hi-tailing it back to his room.   
He shut the door, sighing as he tried to bring himself back to reality.

It took all of 4 seconds for Seungcheol to come knocking at the door, "Josh, is everything ok?"

Taking a laborious breath, Joshua replied, "I-uh-I don't know," he could still vaguely hear gunshots ricochet around in his head, and he wasn't sure if it was the movie still or just his imagination, "I don't know," he said again. He didn't really want to be around anyone at the moment, but he also didn't like being alone much. He was scared, so he wasn't upset when the door opened. 

Seungcheol came up to him, "Hey, hey, talk to me. What's wrong?" He asked. , obviously trying to be helpful, even if he didn't know how to be. 

Sitting down on his bed, Josh looked up at him, "Were you..Ugh..were you bothered at all by that scene in the movie just now?" The noises were starting to fade out, and his heart rate was slowing down. He felt warmth radiating off his cheeks, and sweat threatening to form on his forehead. 

"Not..not really. Did it bother you?" He sat down next to him, rubbing his shoulder in an attempt to soothe him. 

He nodded slightly, "It almost felt like I was in the courthouse. The gunshots.. it,,I dunno," he stopped suddenly, "It felt like I was back in that courtroom," he repeated slowly. 

"Like a flashback?" Seungcheol asked, eyebrows knitted together with concern. When he saw him nod again, he followed up, "I had one of those too. Yesterday, I heard a car backfire and I almost launched into a full panic attack," he put a comforting hand on Joshua's thigh. 

Looking at Seungcheol, Joshua but his lower lip slightly, "How long do you think this'll last?" He raked his fingernails across the handle of his cane impatiently. 

"I dunno," Seungcheol shrugged, "I mean...I guess we both went through a lot of..stuff. Maybe we should consider going to therapy or something. Not, like, tomorrow or anything, but eventually."

Joshua was quiet for a moment before responding, "Maybe, yeah."

"Are you ready to go back out? We can watch a different movie-"

"-no no, they're enjoying that movie. I'll just stay in here," he put his cane down, sitting criss-cross-apple-sauce on his bed, "Um..do you wanna stay here with me?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to do?"

Joshua grabbed his laptop, which happened to have been left on his bed, "We could watch something else. Do you like Degrassi?"

"Yeah! I didn't know you liked it!" Seungcheol's face lit up as he and Joshua got comfortable to watch the show, "Can we watch one of the early ones? Like from the 80s?" He pulled a blanket over them, and snuggled up next to Josh. 

He opened his laptop and pulled up YouTube, "Sure," he said, chuckling slightly when Seungcheol laid his head on his shoulder, "Cheol?"

"Yeah?" He looked up at Joshua.

Joshua leaned down until his lips were touching Seungcheol's. It was gentle and slow, and he pulled away after a second or two, "You're the best," he whispered as he sat back up and pressed play on an episode of Degrassi.

Seungcheol was still for a moment, his cheeks flushing bright red, "Uh yeah," he said quietly, snuggling back up to Joshua like he was before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give feedback! I really appreciate comments and stuff ☺️


	18. XVIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is guys. The final full chapter. I worked so hard on this story and I’m really proud of it. Enjoy :)

_April 16, 6:00pm_

Joshua sighed deeply, staring at his half-naked reflection in the bathroom mirror. He ran his fingers over the deep bruises that covered most his midsection and trailed down past the waistband of his jeans. He had to bite his tongue to keep from making an audible pain noise.   
The worst parts of his wound were concealed by the gauze wrapped all around his torso. Was he scared? Maybe a little, to see the huge, gruesome scars that he was going to have forever. He'd been dreading having to take off his bandages ever since he left the hospital, but the stitches might get infected if he didn't. That's what the doctor said, anyway. 

Joshua looked around, the gears in his brain starting to churn. He can barely stand up without his cane, but he needs both hands to change his bandages. He leaned up against the counter, bracing its edge with one hand.   
He reached behind himself to untape the gauze from his back, but retracted his hand immediately when a searing pain shot through his stomach. He slammed his hand on the counter, forcing down the yelp that he almost let out.  
Apparently he couldn't move his arm like that without tugging on his stitches.   
Rubbing his forehead, Joshua shook his head slightly. 

This was just another thing that he needed help with apparently. 

"CHAN! Can you come in here please? I need your help with something!" He shouted, mentally cringing at himself when his voice sounded all weak and helpless. 

After a moment, he heard heavy footsteps approach from the living room, "Chan's at Seungkwan's house. What do you need?" That was Seungcheol, who was now right outside the bathroom.

"Um..nothing nothing! I'm fine," Joshua blurted out, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to think of a way out of the can of worms he'd just opened. He hated asking for help, and it was embarrassing enough having to ask his baby brother to dress his wounds for him. Asking Seungcheol seemed way worse. 

A few gentle knocks came from the door, "You don't sound fine," his voice went up in pitch, allowing his concern to shine through. 

Dropping his head and pursing his lips, Joshua swallowed his pride and decided to just ask him, "I..I don't think..I can change my bandages by myself. Can you help me?" It was almost a struggle to get the words out, but he managed. 

"Of course," a calm, quiet voice from the other side of the wall, "Can I come in?"

Grabbing at his cane and putting his weight on it, Joshua leaned forward and pulled the door open. 

Seungcheol walked in, closing the door behind himself. He looked at Joshua, his eyes immediately looking down at the apparent aftermath of Lee Sooman's little bullet party.   
He didn't doddle though, "Alright. Let's get these off of you," he mumbled, approaching a very embarrassed Joshua. Seungcheol noticed the discomfort on his face, "It's ok. I promise I'll be gentle."

Sighing, Joshua stepped closer to him, "I just need you to take this gauze and bandages off, then put on new ones," he spoke quietly, still frustrated over having to ask for help. 

Nodding, Seungcheol mouthed an 'ok' and stepped even closer to him, "Tell me if anything hurts," he wrapped his arms around Joshua, almost like he was hugging him. One hand holding onto the small of his back, the other groping around for the end of the gauze. 

Setting his cane against the counter, Joshua decided to keep himself upright by holding onto Seungcheol's shoulders. He could feel the gauze being peeled away, leaving his bruised skin exposed to the cold air for the first time in several days.   
He could also feel Seungcheol's body heat, comforting him with the closeness. Maybe he was leaning onto him a little more than he needed to. 

Suddenly, Seungcheol stopped, "Can you-uh-the bandages..your pants are..uh..in the way," He said meekly, his thumb grazing over Joshua's hipbone. 

Sighing, Joshua tried to push his jeans down slightly on one side, but the fabric rubbing against his bruises hurt like a motherfucker. He grimaced, drawing in a short breath between gritted teeth, "Ok I don't think that's gonna work.." he groaned, clutching a fistful of Seungcheol's shirt. It was at this point that they both realized that Joshua would basically have to pull his pants down to be able to take the bandage off, "I hate this," he sighed, almost instantly realizing how that sounded, "I mean, I appreciate that you're helping me! It's just..I hate feeling so helpless, and I really hate asking people to do things for me."

"You're not helpless. You're injured, and this only temporary. In a couple of weeks, you'll be doing everything by yourself again. For now, just..."

"Just what?"

Seungcheol ran his fingers through Joshua's hair, "Let me take care of you," that was barely above a whisper, and his eyes stayed downcast. 

After taking a couple of moments to just think about it, and maybe feign off the blush that threatened to appear on his face, Joshua answered, "Ok. Do what you need to do,"  
He announced, leaning closer to him. 

Seungcheol nodded plaintively, his hands dropping back down to Joshua's waist, and the half-unwrapped gauze that hung off it, "Is it ok if I pull your pants down just enough to fix your bandages?" He waited until Joshua nodded to unbutton and unzip his jeans. 

"Don't laugh," He chuckled, looking down and remembering that he was wearing Pokémon patterned boxer-briefs. 

Stifling a small laugh, Seungcheol shook his head, "Ok this may sting," he said, pulling the bandage off of Joshua's other scar. He threw the old stuff in the trash, "There. The hard part is over."

Joshua turned to look at himself in the mirror, leaning onto the sink. His contented smile vanished immediately. It was worse than he expected; various shades of black, blue, green, and purple surrounded the horrific scars on his stomach and hip. He looked like a rag doll that's been ripped apart and sewn back together. 

Seungcheol stood behind him, hands on his waist, thumbs rubbing soft circles where there weren't any bruises. He looked over Joshua's shoulder at their reflection, his gaze flickering between the scars and Joshua's disappointed face. 

"I look disgusting," he rasped, biting his quivering lower lip as he ran a finger across the scar on his hip, tensing when it stung. 

"No, you're beautiful," Seungcheol whispered, pressing his lips onto Joshua's shoulder, "All of you. You're beautiful," he sighed, giving him another kiss, this time on the nape of his neck, "You always will be," he kissed Joshua's other shoulder, "To me, at least," then finally one kiss on his cheek for good measure. 

Chuckling at the sudden kisses, Joshua turned around to face him again, "You're sweet," He said cutely, his ears turning a little red. 

"You're sweeter," Seungcheol booped Joshua on the nose, giggling at his surprised reaction. 

Joshua smiled, glancing at the ground before looking back at him. He leaned in, giving Seungcheol a soft kiss on the lips, which only lasted a second before he pulled away, "Thank you," he whispered before suddenly changing his disposition, "Alright let's get these bandages on," he said curtly, ignoring the flustered look on Seungcheol's face, "The gauze is up there," he said, pointing to an overhead cabinet. 

-

_10:35pm_

"Seungcheol?" Joshua asked quietly upon seeing the other male step back into the bedroom.   
He was sitting on his bed, in some basketball shorts and a thin tank top, waiting to go to sleep. 

Seungcheol looked up at him, "Yeah?" He tossed his dirty clothes into the laundry bin, now sporting just his boxers and a tshirt to sleep in. 

"I need to ask you something, or-uh tell you something," he was a little nervous, and it showed, "About-um-well it's-uh.."

Sitting down next to him, Seungcheol put his arm around him, "What's wrong?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

"Nothing," he assured, smiling at him, "It's just..about you and me...about how we've been lately."

His expression stiffening, he looked at Joshua with disappointment, "I think I understand. I've been smothering you and you want some space. Is that it?"

"No! No no no no no! I just," Joshua jumped in frantically, his eyebrows practically disappearing into his hairline, "That's not it at all!"

Sighing deeply, Seungcheol smiled a little, "Oh thank god. You had me worried."

Joshua put a hand on his knee, looking him in the eyes non-threateningly , "Seungcheol, we're best friends, yah?" He watched him nod before continuing, "Well, we're best friends that sleep in the same bed, and cuddle during movies, and we kiss sometimes."

"Yeah, I guess so."

He bit his lip, his shoulders tensing, "I like it."

Seungcheol raised an eyebrow at him, "Yeah, I kinda figured bro," he chuckled. 

"Shut up, I'm trying to be serious," he whined, pouting a little bit before sighing and continuing what he was gonna say, "Anyway, I..I like kissing you...more than normal best friends do..I mean-uh-I feel about you-um-in a way that-ok wait let me start over-"

"-JOSHUA."

"Yes?" 

Seungcheol put his hand on top of his, "Are you trying to tell me that you have feelings for me? Like..romantic kinda feelings?"

Joshua's mouth hung open for a moment before he recomposed himself, "Uh...yes. Yes, that's-umm-that's what I was trying,,to tell you," he paused before continuing. His heart was beating out of his chest and he was still mildly sure the whole thing was a dream, "I really like kissing you, I like sleeping in the same bed as you, and I like being around you 23 hours of the day. Seungcheol, I really like you," he said, scooting closer to him, "I want to be your boyfriend..if that's something that you want...I don't know if you feel the same way or anything, but-uh-yeah..that's it." He trailed off, his eyes downcast. 

Seungcheol just smiled and ran his fingers through Joshua's hair, "Joshua," he cooed sweetly, "You're a fucking idiot."

[let the records show that Seungcheol was trying to be funny]

Joshua's face fell, "Oh.." he sniffled, nodding and biting his lip, "I'm sorry, I should've said anything-"

"Wait wait wait! No, I was kidding! Josh, I was being sarcastic, please!" Seungcheol fucking panicked, trying to backpedal on his apparent fuck up, "I like you! Joshua, I really fucking like you!"

Joshua burst into laughter, putting his head in his hands, "I think you're the idiot for thinking that was funny. Fuck you! You had me so fucking upset for a second!" He whined, playfully punching Seungcheol in the arm. Sitting up straight again, he recomposed himself, "Ok, I forgive you."

"Whew, good. Seriously, I..I want to be your boyfriend, Shua," it trailed off into more of a whisper. He grabbed Joshua's hand, tracing patterns onto his palm, "I want us to be together."

After a moment of silence, Joshua brought his leg up onto the bed and leaned in closer. He gently wrapped his hands around Seungcheol's neck, and his heart was beating out of his chest, "Can I kiss you? Not platonically, not as 'just friends', but because I really, really want to?" He whispered, their noses brushing. 

Seungcheol put his hands on Joshua's thighs, bunching up the fabric of his shorts, "Please," he whispered back, and the word was barely out of his mouth when Joshua caught it with his own.

It was slow, and gentle, like Joshua was afraid Seungcheol would break if he kissed him too hard. His lips were soft, and his cheeks were soft, and Seungcheol was just so soft and Joshua felt like he was kissing him for the first time again. It was exhilarating, and their lips moved together beautifully. 

Seungcheol's hands migrated from Joshua's thighs, to his hips, carefully not to press on his bruises, "I love you, man," he whispered against Joshua's lips, going to kiss him again before promptly stopping, "I-um.."

Joshua pushed Seungcheol's fringe out of his face and looking him in the eyes. He was so happy, he could almost cry, "I love you too," he breathed, closing the gap between them once again. 

Needier this time, Seungcheol's fingers slipped under Joshua's tshirt, leaving fiery touches on his skin. He moved them up a little, carefully avoiding his wounds. He was getting lost, his tongue dancing beautifully with Joshua's. 

Fingers tangling in Seungcheol's hair, Joshua smiled into the kiss slightly, pulling their bodies closer together and-

"Hey Mr. Rabbi, do you mind if we move the couch to play Just Dance or-OH."

And then Minghao was standing in the middle of Joshua's bedroom with his cheeks bright red. 

The boyfriends immediately stopped, Seungcheol practically jumping away from Joshua, "Hao..um.."

"I should...knock next time," Minghao said in a low voice, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Joshua pulled his shirt back down where it had ridden up, clearing his throat, "I..didn't even know you were here, Minghao."

"Chan invited me. Sorry."

Shaking his head, Joshua sighed, "It's..it's fine. Sure, move the couch, whatever..just-uh-leave my boyfriend and I alone, ok?"

Minghao gave him a thumbs up before leaving the room, "ALRIGHTY WE GOT A GREEN LIGHT ON THE COUCH!" He yelled as soon as he shut the door. 

The two were quiet for a moment, red faced and exasperated. 

"Boyfriend, huh? So it's official?" Seungcheol asked after some time, grabbing Joshua's hand. 

"Yeah," Joshua smiled at the ground, rubbing circles into the back of Seungcheol's hand with his thumb, "There's something I want to give you aswell."

"What?"

"Well I don't have it right now, but I wanna give you a key to the apartment. Normally, that wouldn't happen until much later in a relationship, and we've only been boyfriends for like 3 seconds but..."

Seungcheol wheezed, "but I've basically been living here for by the past two weeks anyway so.."

"So it's not that big of a deal," Joshua finished for him, "I'll run out and get you a key tomorrow," he cooed, leaning in and kissing Seungcheol again, "Cheol?"

"Yeah?" He looked Joshua in the eyes, mentally taking in how breathtaking he was. Damn, Seungcheol really was whipped, huh. 

"How the hell did we get here?"

"I don't know.." Seungcheol smiled, leaning in and kissing Joshua one more time, "I guess somewhere along the way, we did something right."

The end


	19. XIX Epilogue

_April 25, 11:30pm_

"He's going to be walking with a cane for awhile, but in the long run, things will be fine. He's-uh-he asked me to be his boyfriend. You totally called it. He even gave me a key to his apartment..things are good. We're trying to put this whole mess behind us and just-yknow-heal and stuff. Yeah, things are good. But that's enough about me, how are you doing?" 

Mallet smiled at Seungcheol, resting his head on his heavily tattooed hand, "Actually..very good. My sentence got shortened. Now, I can get out in three years on good behavior!"

"That's fantastic!" He said, giving him a high five.   
The Prison visitation room felt a lot different when Seungcheol was the visitor and not the prisoner. It felt colder, dingier. 

"That boyfriend I was talking about.."

"EX boyfriend?"

Mallet smiled slyly, "Not an EX anymore." He said. 

"Ooh really?" Seungcheol rested his chin on his hand, "Spill the tea."

Nodding and humming in reply, he continued, "I wrote to him..and he came to visit me the other day. We talked...we're together again."

"I'm happy for you."

"VISITING HOURS ARE OVER. ALL PRISONERS RETURN TO YOUR BLOCKS IMMEDIATELY." A voice boomed over the loudspeakers, signaling the end of their discussion. 

They stood up, hugging quickly before Mallet had to leave," Thanks for coming!" 

"I'll come visit again!" Seungcheol called out as he left the visitation room. 

-

_6 months later; October 25th_

_Dear Dad,_

_This is the first time I've written in nearly a year. I've received all of your letters, though. Chan and I read them, and we're proud of you for coming around on the whole gay thing. While I appreciate your request for us to move back home, I'll have to decline. Chan and I are doing well on our own. As he may have told you, we moved to Argentina about 7 months ago. I opened up a temple and we have almost 100 congregants already. Things are great now, but it's been really crazy. Shortly after we moved here, I was involved in a shooting. I almost died, but now I've almost fully recovered. It was cause of this whole big legal thing, long story haha. One more big thing happened, Dad. I met someone. His name is Seungcheol, and we met through some..interesting circumstances. We've been together for 6 months, and he's absolutely incredible. Hopefully someday you can meet him. Seungcheol is the love of my life. He's the man I want to marry, Dad._

Joshua was sitting at the kitchen table, tapping his pen against his head as he thought of what to write next, "Hmm...Chan do you want me to tell Dad about Seungkwan?" He asked loudly. 

Chan, who was sitting on the couch and looking at tiktoks, looked up at him, "Yes, but make sure to stress the fact that I'm Bi. He's still holding out hope for a daughter-in-law." He said. 

_Chan wanted me to tell you that he has a boyfriend named Seungkwan, but he's not totally gay so there's still a chance that he'll end up with woman down the road. :)_

_-Love,  
Joshua_

Standing up, Joshua stuck the letter into an envelope and sealed it. He started putting his shoes on, and just then Seungcheol came in from the bedroom, "Where are you going?" 

"Just gotta put a letter in the mail," Joshua said, standing up too quickly and feeling a faint pain in his hip. Even after 6 months, it's still there. 

Seungcheol leaned up against the kitchen counter, "Snail mail? Really? It's 2020," he questioned, smiling curiously. 

Joshua shrugged, looking at the address on the envelope, "This letter is really special," he said quietly, pausing before looking back up at him, "Anyway, I was thinking tonight we could go to that fancy new Thai restaurant downtown? To celebrate..uh.." 

"Celebrate what? Our 6 month anniversary was a week ago."

"Just..you'll see," Joshua stepped closer, giving him a quick kiss, "I'll be right back." 

Once he was out of the apartment and walking down the hall, he started fishing around his pocket for something.   
He pulled out a tiny, velvet box, rolling it around in his hand for a moment before opening it.   
Inside, was a thin, gold ring with a diamond in it. 

Joshua sighed happily, admiring the ring, "You'll see, Seungcheol." He said to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I can’t believe we’re at the end of the story! I’ve been working on it for 6 fucking months. Actually, I’m pretty proud of myself. It took so much rewriting and fixing and now it’s finally all published. I hope you guys enjoyed it :)

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is greatly appreciated, so feel free to share your thoughts about the story with a comment ❤️


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